#daisuke x wills

[beermanoftana]

the gift of communication

happy holidays to you, dear @citrus-cactus. i was your secret santa and i am very sorry this is so late. i was supposed to post this after one more check once i arrived but my parents told me that there was no need to bring my laptop, so here i am posting it using my ipad and i hope it still looks okay!

anyways, backstory aside, i do hope you enjoy this little thing i wrote! and i'm really sorry if this isn't what you had in mind. i had to re-watch some hurricane touchdown scenes to get wallace's character as good as i could, i would've watched the movie if i had the time so i super apologize if this isn't to your liking. i had a lot of fun writing it and i would really love to know your thoughts if you get the chance to give them :)

just a few notes in case you want to run ; editing mistakes here or there [there better not be…] // timeline is more on adventure 02 in between the ending and epilogue // this is not set in the same world as my other fics due to inspiration reasons // i will post this on ao3 soon // i tried my best to give the digimon feel and i think I achieved it, so…

…without further ado, i present to you this little fic. enjoy! have a merry christmas and a happy new year! 🥰

the gift of communication | main characters ; wallace, terriermon, lopmon, daisuke motomiya | pairings ; slight wallace x daisuke (if you squint), mentioned takeru x hikari, mentioned taichi x sora, mentioned yamato x mimi | genre ; friendship | word count ; 3,598 | rating ; g

Terriermon and Lopmon were enjoying the company of their fellow digimons. They told each other stories, laughed, and even played a little. At some point, they fell asleep next to each other after consuming most of the food and drinks that Miyako had brought for them for the day. Terriermon had his head rested against Chibimon who was snoring softly while Lopmon was a few inches away from them.

The Chosen Children were gathered around in a circle, sans Ken who had told them that he would be late but promised to come as soon as he could. He mentioned something about helping his mom with some gift-giving in an orphanage.

“So, Wallace,” Daisuke started, his head turned to him. “Since when did you like coming here to Japan?” It made him suspicious as he remembered that Wallace had kissed Hikari once. He kissed her cheek, and Miyako’s as well, but it was still a kiss. “Are you here for anyone in particular?” But Daisuke also knew he was in denial about the fact that Hikari and Takeru had had some sort of unspoken romantic feelings for one another. “I heard there are more women in New York.” 

Wallace shrugged, simply ignoring Daisuke’s obvious accusations. “It’s a nice place to be in during the holidays. The spirit of Christmas is really taken seriously. Back in New York, people tend to be busy and get caught up with one another.”

“Looks like New York isn’t as cool as people say it is,” Iori said. “I’ve always thought it was a white Christmas there.”

Wallace nodded. “It sounds nice and it looks nice when you see it on tv and the movies but it isn’t spectacular or anything.”

“Nothing for you is ever spectacular,” Daisuke muttered. This made Hikari nudge him without much force and in turn made Takeru chuckle. “Either way, I’m glad you're here, Wallace. It’s been a while and I actually do miss you.”

Wallace’s eyes widened and his eyebrows raised. “You miss me?” he echoed. For him, that was a first for someone. “You. Miss me? You?”

“Am I not allowed to?” Daisuke raised an eyebrow.

Wallace smirked.

Daisuke narrowed his eyes. “Don’t push it.”

Miyako laughed. “Don’t mind him, Daisuke. It’s just Wallace being Wallace.”

“You don’t know much about me,” the American-raised boy defended. It was an absolute surprise to hear that from someone he had not had much interaction with in a while. “How could you say that?”

“We know enough,” Takeru spoke. “Like how you consider us as your friends. After all, you accepted our invitation to this gathering.”

Wallace did not reply. His mind was wondering how this group of friends suddenly thought that they were somehow close. It was not as if he did not like the group, he liked them a lot, especially after they helped him with Kokomon. But he needed to figure out how to handle this.

Hikari smiled at him. “Onee-san is throwing a surprise birthday party for Sora-san the day after tomorrow. You should go, it’d be really fun. We’ll be there, and I’m sure Terriermon and Lopmon would enjoy the company of being with more of their friends.”

“I’ll think about it,” he replied, still a little lost in thought. This invitation to her future sister-in-law’s surprise birthday party was, for him, a big step. He had not known much about them, yet they were thinking highly of him here.

What went into his head when he called Daisuke Motomiya yesterday to tell him that he was in the country, visiting for the holiday and seeing the sights with his mom.

He had called his home’s telephone, which made him feel anxious because he was not so sure what to say if it had been someone else who would answer. Luckily, it was Daisuke who took the call right away.

Was it because he was indebted? Because they helped him get Kokomon back? He did not think so, it could be more than that.

Just then, the door of Daisuke’s room opened and Ken appeared with Wormmom beside him. “I’m sorry for being late,” he said, bowing.

“Ken!” Miyako grinned. “The food’s almost gone, help yourself to what’s left, Wormmon.”

Ken chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, Wormmon. I’m sure there’s still some good food somewhere there.”

“Of course! I always choose the best of the best,” Miyako said proudly.

Wallace watched as Ken walked from the door and sat down in between Miyako and Iori. They had briefed him of the former Digimon Kaiser. He felt the anger boil inside him as they told him the story, how could someone do that to digimons?

But they had assured him that Ken had changed and was very much on their side. He was a little skeptical, and truth be told he still was, but he told himself to watch out for Ken before he could make his final judgment.

“Hello,” Ken greeted. “You must be Wallace.”

He nodded. “Yeah. And you’re Ken, right? Ken Ichijouji?”

Ken nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, raising his hand.

Wallace blinked a few times before shaking his hand. “And it’s great to finally meet you.”

“Ken!” Wormmom called him. “This is Terriermon and Lopmon!”

The group all turned back. Ken had a smile on his face. “I hope Wormmon treats you well.”

“Hey!”

Everyone laughed.

Iori said, “Try the new chocolate drink, Wormmon. I told Armadimon to hide one for you.”

“Here it is!” Armadimon held up the box.

“Thank you, Iori and Armadimon,” Wormmon said happily as he began to consume the drink.

Wallace watched as they looked at the worm-like digimon drink. Despite what had happened before, they welcomed Ken with open arms. It might take a while but he hoped he would fully forgive Ken and replace the thought of the poor digimons with happier faces. It sounded easier in thought but perhaps interacting with him more will be good for them both.

“This is so good, Miyako!” Wormmon exclaimed. He then dug into some snacks. “It's a good thing I didn’t eat before coming here.”

Wallace laughed. “That’s true, the food you brought really did make me feel full.”

Miyako grinned again. “I told you all! Wallace does like Japanese food.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll like the food that will be prepared for the party,” Hikari stated, smiling. “Please come.”

“I’ll think about it,” he repeated. But to be honest, he was very keen on going. “I’ll have to ask Terriermon and Lopmon first,” he added. “And my mom, of course.”

“Yes!” Terriermon and Lopmon shouted at the same time.

Hikari giggled. “I hope your mom says yes, Wallace.”

‘I hope so, too,’ he thought. He smiled at them. “Yeah, let’s see.” 

On the way back to the hotel, Wallace carried Lopmon as Terriermon sat on his favorite spot, Wallace’s head. Wallace had not spoken to either of them as they walked. This did not go unnoticed by his digimon partners.

Both Terriermon and Lopmon were looking at their human partner, then they would look at each other, then back at Wallace, and then make eye contact again, and the cycle repeated a few more times before both sighed.

“What’s got you thinking?” Lopmon asked, looking up at his partner. He touched his cheek and patted it a few times. “You’ve been quiet since we left Daisuke’s house.” He tilted his head. “Don’t tell me you didn’t have fun, Wallace. I know you did, everyone could see it.”

Wallace sighed and looked down at the brown digimon. “I’m just wondering about the party they invited me to. Invited us to.”

“What about it?” Terriermon questioned. “You want to go, don’t you? I saw the way you smiled, you seem excited about it.”

“I do,” he admitted. “I do want to go and it does seem pretty exciting.” But as they left the Motomiya residence, he had a sudden reflection about the other Chosen Children. “But what about the others? I don’t know much about them, they don’t know much about me. I’ll feel left out.” He was never really scared of being alone, but he found this situation different. Maybe because they all had something in common. “I don’t think it’d be fun if that was the case.”

Terriermon and Lopmon looked at each other.

“We’re sure Daisuke won’t leave you alone,” Terriermon said. “And neither will the others.”

“You can’t be sure,” Wallace said.

“Sure we’re sure,” Lopmon said. “They like you, Wallace. They won’t let you feel left out. I’m sure they’ll even introduce you to the others.”

Wallace bit his bottom lip. “I’ll ask Mom if we can go. It won’t be until the day after tomorrow, I don’t think it’ll be too sudden.”

“And besides, your mom will be happy you have friends here,” Lopmon added and Terriermon nodded in agreement.

That made Wallace smile. “Yeah, I think she will be.”

“Cheer up, Wallace.” Terriermon smiled. “I’m sure everyone will be glad if you go.”

He nodded. “Let’s go ask Mom then.”

Both Terriermon and Lopmon grinned. “Yay!” they exclaimed.

“You two do seem so excited about this,” Wallace said, chuckling.

“We want to see you happy,” Lopmon told him. “And we’re glad that you have friends here.”

Wallace smiled and nodded. Then, it dawned on him that in a few days, before Christmas day, he would have to leave the country and head back to New York. He had not told them this—they had not asked—but he would have to soon and it made him feel sad knowing that he would leave them behind. “Just when things were brightening up,” he murmured.

“What was that?” the two digimons asked in unison. “What did you say?”

Wallace shook his head. “It’s not something I want to talk about right now, and I don’t want to think about it yet either. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our stay here while we can. Japan is a nice place, let’s not ruin the vacation. Okay?”

The two digimons looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding as they shifted their eyes to Wallace. “Okay.”

As Wallace and the twins expected, his mother was very happy that he had made friends. “I didn’t expect this,” she admitted.

“They’re the same friends I told you about before,” he said. “I…missed them.”

“Is that why you wanted to come here for the holiday?”

Wallace nodded slowly.

His mother grinned. “I’m glad you’re finally letting yourself out there.” Then she tilted her head. “But how did you find them?”

“I asked for help from Mimi-san,” he answered. “You remember her.”

“Oh yes, that pretty girl you met back home.” She smiled.

“She’s in a relationship,” he immediately said, knowing where that smile was headed.

She giggled. “Alright then. When is the party again?”

“The day after tomorrow,” he replied. “A lot of people will be there. My friends and their older brothers and their friends as well. And Terriermon and Lopmon’s friends, too.”

“My, isn’t that a big party,” his mother said. “And you don’t know the others?” Wallace shook his head. “You won’t feel out of place?” Again, he shook his head. “You won’t be in the corner alone?” He let out a soft chuckle before shaking his head once more. He was suddenly so sure, surprisingly, that he would not be left alone by the group. Terriermon and Lopmon really do have an effect on him. “But you’ll have fun, won’t you?”

“I will,” he assured. “I know I will.” He knew very well that he would have a lot of fun. ‘I know I will,’ he repeated in his head. ‘I know I will.’

“That’s good. That’s all I needed to hear.” His mom grinned. “So what’s the theme? What will you wear? We’ll need to make a good impression on them. I know how you can be, Wallace.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s like you have no faith in me.” His mother frowned. “I don’t know much. I’ll call Daisuke and ask for more information.”

“Okay. But remember to just tell me if you need anything. Anything at all.”

“Yes, Mom.” He smiled.”You’re just as excited as Terriermon and Lopmon.”

“We’re just very happy for you, Wallace.” His mother leaned to kiss his forehead. “My sweet boy, I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

When she straightened her body, she added, “I would very much like to meet your friends one day. Maybe invite them after the party. Perhaps the next day or the day after that?”

Wallace nodded. “Yeah, I’ll ask them. Will you be cooking?” He had always loved his mom’s cooking and was very proud of how others liked them as well.

“Of course, I need to make a good impression on them, too.”

They both laughed.

The day of the party had arrived and Wallace was quite nervous about it. He had kept himself composed and ready for the event the past day but he did not think about what would happen as he was on the way to the Takenouchi residence.

“Aren’t you excited?” Terriermon asked cheerily.

“I am!” Lopmon answered. “What about you, Wallace?”

Wallace put on a smile. “I am. I am excited. But I’m a little nervous, but I guess that’s a normal thing to feel when you’re about to meet a bunch of new people.”

Lopmon nodded. “Don’t worry, you’ve got us. We can leave anytime you want.”

“Thanks, guys.”

They continued to walk and then finally arrived at the condominium. As they entered, having made sure that Terriermon and Lopmon had returned to playing as stuffed animals, he walked to the receptionist and informed them that he was there for the surprise party in the apartment of the Takenouchis.

Just as the receptionist gave him the floor and room number, an unfamiliar voice called his name. “Wallace?”

He turned around and recognized the man in front of him. “Koushiro.”

The redhead smiled at him, his digimon partner in his arms. “That’s me.” He walked closer to Wallace and stopped just a few inches away from him. “Takeru-kun said you would come.”

“I was a little hesitant,” he lied, not wanting to sound too eager. “But I thought it would be fun to make new friends and, you know, hang out with them.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m sure Taichi-san and the others would love to meet you. Mimi-chan is here already. I know you two are acquainted with one another.”

“Yes,” he said. “We met in New York one time, she recognized my partners.”

Koushiro nodded. “This is Tentomon.” Then he paused. “Let’s get going,” he said as he looked around the lobby. There were not many people but they still had to be careful.

The two, with their partners, rode the elevator going up. Wallace was getting a little more nervous now. He got a warm welcome from Koushiro, yes, but what about the others?

‘What’s got you hot and bothered by this, Wallace?’ he questioned himself. ‘This shouldn’t keep you on your toes.’

“They’re really nice,” Koushiro said, as if reading his mind. “My friends are really nice. You don’t have to worry about them. Not even Yamato-san can ruin your mood.”

“What do you mean?”

Koushiro smiled. “He’s been a handful before, but he’s become very mellow over the past few years. He smiles a lot more, too, ever since he started dating Mimi-chan.”

Wallace looked at him.

“I didn’t read your mind, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Koushiro added with a soft chuckle. “I just saw it in your body language.”

Wallace raised his eyebrows. He was always so calm, not once had he shown people his true thoughts and feelings. How did Koushiro know about this?

“I was like you before, back when I was young. Even before I met Taichi-san and the others. I hid myself behind my laptop, not once showing emotions. But when I started hanging out with them…it felt good, it felt nice. I felt like I belonged. That’s how great they are.” Koushiro looked at him. “Chosen Child or not, they’re nothing to be afraid of.”

Wallace grinned. “Thank you.”

They reached their floor and they quickly walked to the apartment. Not everyone was there yet but when Daisuke saw that Wallace had arrived, he grinned and walked over to him. “You came! You’re here!” 

Terriermon and Lopmon grinned as well. “Are the others here, too?” Terriermon asked.

“Of course,” Daisuke answered. “They’re at the back.”

Terriermon and Lopmon leaped from Wallace’s arms and ran down the hallway.

“They’re excited,” Koushiro said as he let Tentomon fly away. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Wallace gave him a nod while Daisuke’s eyes followed Koushiro’s steps. When he was in the kitchen, Daisuke grabbed Wallace’s wrist and dragged him to the living room. “You have to meet Taichi-san!”

Wallace’s heartbeat raced. He was about to meet the highly talked about Taichi Yagami.

They stopped in front of a young man whom Wallace knew all too well just basing it on pictures. “Taichi-san!” Daisuke greeted. Taichi looked back and gave Daisuke a questioning look before looking at Wallace. “Taichi-san, this is Wallace.”

“Oh, so you’re the Wallace Hikari-chan talked about.” He raised his hand and said, “Taichi.”

“It’s so great to finally meet you.”

Meanwhile, in the background, they ignored Daisuke’s question about Hikari talking about Wallace to her older brother.

“Sora will be here soon, I suggest you find a place to hide. Daisuke can lead you around. I’ll get to know you more later, alright?”

Wallace nodded. “Okay.”

Daisuke narrowed his eyes. “Hikari-chan talks about you.”

Wallace could not help but laugh. “Let’s find a place now. As Taichi said, Sora will be here soon.”

The surprise party was a success. Sora arrived with her mom and was shocked to see her friends surrounding her and shouting “happy birthday”.

Sora’s eyes teared up but she was smiling from ear to ear. “And I wonder who came up with the idea,” she said, giggling.

Taichi went up to her and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Take a wild guess.”

She giggled some more and gave her fiancé a kiss and everyone clapped. Then, Sora went over to hug and thank everyone in the room, including Wallace.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said when she stopped over to hug and thank him. “I’ve heard good things about you.”

For some reason, that made Wallace’s cheek turn pink. “I hope so.”

Sora smiled.

The party was still in full swing—that is, everyone was chatting with each other and the food and drinks needed refilling—when Wallace headed over to the balcony for some fresh air. He was just overwhelmed with how friendly the others were, how they welcomed him with open arms, and how comfortable he was with them. He hated that he would be leaving soon.

He has instructed Terriermon and Lopmon to play with the other digimons as he wanted to be alone for a while. The twin digimons seemed to have sensed it as they did not object to the request.

Just then, someone stood beside him, holding up two drinks, and offering one to him. Wallace did not bother to look up as he took the cup, he was actually thirsty but was not yet ready to go back inside. “Thank you.”

“If you just want to stay silent that’s fine with me, but let me stay here with you for a bit.”

Wallace nodded. “The party’s a success.” He looked back at the gathering behind him and then back to the horizon. “Taichi really loves her.”

“He does,” Daisuke said. “They’re in love.”

“How are you and Hikari?”

Daisuke sighed. “I’ll give up soon enough. She and Takeru have a lot of stuff going on, going around each and all. They have a history. They have the present. And,” he paused. Wallace could see how heartbroken Daisuke was about this. “And they have a future.”

Wallace pursed his lips. “There’s someone else out for you, I promise.” He placed a hand on Daisuke’s shoulder and rubbed it. “I know it.”

Daisuke smiled. “Thanks, Wallace. You’re a good friend, you know that?” He raised his hand and rubbed Wallace’s shoulder. “I know Mimi-san is missing a lot.”

Wallace shook his head. “Why does everyone think I’m into Mimi?”

“Uh, because it’s obvious? The way you keep looking at her? The way Yamato-san looks as if he’s about to start a fight soon.”

Wallace felt like he was shrinking. “I didn’t notice.”

Daisuke laughed. “Anyway.” He regained his composure. “I don’t want to ask but it’s bound to happen. When are you leaving?”

“Three days from now,” he answered, his head bowed down. “I don’t wanna leave,” he admitted. “I’m…having a good time.”

Daisuke nodded. “Yeah, I know you are.”

They stayed quiet until Daisuke ended it by asking, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Wallace cocked his head to the side. “What?”

“What do you want for Christmas?” Daisuke repeated. “You’re leaving three days before Christmas Day and I want to give you something before we part ways.”

Wallace was silent. Then, he took out his phone and handed it over to the man in front of him. “Can you give me your email?”

“My email?” Daisuke echoed.

“Yeah,” Wallace nodded, “I’d really like it if we talked some more. Even when I’m back in the US, I want to be able to communicate with you guys properly.”

Daisuke grinned. “You read my mind.”

[cherry-pop-elf]

Your Own Happy Ending

Mouthwashing gang X Reader

AN: Can be read as platonic, and can be implied to be any/multiple characters. Except Jimmy. Fuck you Jimmy

Sum: Enough was enough. Time to get off this stupid Rock

Warnings: 18+, violence, sexual assault, revenge fic, talks about rape, gore, happy ending don’t worry, trauma, mouth wash, graphic violence, written by a victim of sexual assault and giving all of us that need to get revenge on our abusers. I see you, guys gals and nonbinary pals. I see you

This had to stop. He was going to just hurt more and more people. There will be more victims. You can’t become a victim, you can’t have the ones you love be under his hands. No. No one deserved this.

No one except him.

Curly was at deaths door, Anya is going to reach a point of no return in her pregnancy, Daisuke is on the edge of a mental break down, and even Swansea is shattering apart. One bottle of mouthwash at a time.

You didn’t know what will happen next. You were crashed in god knows where, but maybe there is a chance of hope. Maybe there is a way to get home. Maybe. Maybe maybe maybe.

The cockpit is full of foam, but who says you can’t just cut away at it enough to access a transmitter? What’s else is left to do? Not like waiting and praying is helping.

Would explain why Jimmy refused to let anyone have the keys to the pit.

He didn’t want his sins to escape.

You’ll make them escape out of his damn body.

There was no way Anya was going to tell you where the gun was. Guess that means you’ll need to improvise. Had a ax. A ax can do it, but getting it away from Swansea is going to be troubling. He was keeping it as much for self defense at this point as you would have to.

You needed a weapon.

Your hands couldn’t handle it. Jimmy was able to do so much harm already. Anya was most likely not his only victim. He’s certainly done this before. Meaning he knows how to fight, and get someone pinned under him. There to do whatever he wanted.

You had to get him before he got you.

What else could be a weapon?

A knife? A knife!

You ran into the kitchen, much to the confusion of Swansea and Daisuke, only to start tearing the drawers out. Utensils flying everywhere as you tried to find something. Anything sharp.

To your horror there was no knives.

“He took all the knives….”

You looked over, same for Swansea, as it had been Daisuke who said it.

Daisuke said it.

“They are all in Curly’s old room. Since he’s the new captain now he has the ability to lock down that door. No one gets in, and no one gets out. Whatever he wants to hide is there. Noticed him hoarding things there. Was so confused…..Now I’m not anymore.”

Swansea looked ready to start swinging his ax at the nearest body of organs. He couldn’t believe this was real. That this was some shining bullshit.

This couldn’t go on.

“Swan, Daisuke, you guys gotta grab Anya and hide out in the med-bay. I’ll find something. I’ll find something-“ You rambled on, before Anya had poked her head in. Seeing Swansea holding Daisuke, and trying to keep that ray of sunshine from finally snapping.

“What’s going on?” She would whisper. Ever afraid if she spoke to loud that Jimmy would find her. Find her and do something else. Didn’t matter where she was. He was always breathing down her neck. One way or another.

“Little junior adventurer over there wants to finish the job.” Swansea would grit his teeth, as you still kept hunting down for something. Willing to tear apart cushions. You had to find SOMETHING. Maybe you could break a chair leg, maybe you could use some wires. Maybe maybe maybe-

That’s when Anya held your shoulder. Her tired eyes pulled you away from the incoming insanity. Brought you back to reality, and had you listen. Listen for just a moment.

“This is where the jugular vein is-“ She begun, as she pointed to her neck. Then started to name off more vital arteries, before pulling a scalpel from her pocket. Into your hands they went, as she kept listing off every vital vein possible. Weak points every body had.

Even a man like him.

“Last I saw him he was exploring the lower decks. Please…..Just make it quick.” As much as she hated him, she just could only bring herself to be only so cold. She could never be as cruel as Jimmy. To wish death onto someone. Never would she.

That’s what made her forever better than him.

“Come on, kid. You ain’t gonna wanna see this. Get over here, Anya. Come on. Let’s go have a sleepover with Captain Curly.” He would motion her over, and she would snuggle under his arm. The two safe in his arms, as he would walk them to the med-bay.

Was wise for him to keep the ax. That thing was what kept Jimmy from doing his own finishing of the job. You can’t over power him. No you can’t. There was also the fact Anya made sure to keep the gun hidden. You wouldn’t deny the idea it was in the med-bay somewhere. Just more protection if anything.

They’ll be safe. If you didn’t make it, at least you’ll make sure Jimmy is too weak to try anything more to hurt them. Weak enough for someone else to finish the job. What mattered now was them staying away until the job was done, and for you to figure out what to do next.

You needed that damn key.

You would stuff your hands in your pockets, grip tight on the scalpel, and started walking. Walking, thinking, listening. Eyes glued to anything that could offer an opportunity to be jumped. You had to be vigilant.

As you walked you would notice the door that was once Curly’s. How Jimmy didn’t deserve the luxury of what a Captain gets. Made you wonder what else he was also hoarding in that room. Maybe he was hoarding resources that should have been shared with the rest of you. There could be the slimmest chance that he was hiding away a transmitter even. Not having the guts to destroy it, and maybe even as far as to what for the rest of them to kill each other before he called for help.

That coward.

You had to get his keys. You needed those keys for those you love. They deserved to live. YOU deserved to live. No way in hell will Jimmy keep getting away with this. Never again. Never more.

Your nerves were getting tighter and tighter now. Even the sound of your own heart beat was painfully loud in your head. The sweat on your skin, the itch of your skin being too tight, the pounding of drums, the feeling of air pushing at your ribcage. So much as your eyes blinking was to loud.

Everything was to loud.

That’s when a bang of metal hitting metal alerted you. You spun around, and was just met with nothing. Just an empty, dark, hallway. No source of the noise. Maybe there was none to begin with. Just your nerves.

“Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You know you have to do this. There is no other option. You can do this. For Anya, for Daisuke, and for Swansea.”

A wipe to your brow and you returned to hunting him down.

Felt like an eternity. Just endless hallways in red lights of emergency. Hallways blocked off by foam. Was a scarlet bouncy castle of horror. Never did the ship feel so endless yet so tight. Maybe the ship itself was breathing to.

Never did you think you would be happy to see his ugly face.

He was down in the lower decks, seeming to be trying to access a door that Swansea had managed to block off. Swansea was stronger than he looked, and was a mechanic no less. Jerry rigged a makeshift lock for the door. If you recall correctly that was where the cryo-sleep pods were. He had been working to try and fix them up, but you doubt they survived. Guess it’s better to pretend you are doing something useful than do nothing at all.

“Hey Jim, whatcha doing?” You tried your best to act casual, as you watched him trying to get the lock off. A mixture of locking mechanics and bent metal that kept things in place. Jimmy just didn’t have the body weight to unbend them. Who ever said being fat wasn’t useful?

“Trying to get into this damn room. Be useful and help me, won’t you?” He grumbled, as he kept trying to pull the metal.

This was your chance.

This almost felt to perfect. He was distracted, hyper focused on something, and was crouching. You would have the upper hand. You can pull this off. You just had to fight your nerves.

“Yeah yeah yeah. I’m coming.” You would say, as you would walk closer to him. Flashes crossed your vision with each step. Was like blurs of a shadow puppet show. Visions of his talle outline pinning Anya to the ground, another of him pinning Daisuke to a wall. Even Swansea wasn’t free from the concept of being pinned to a surface and abused.

No one was safe with Jimmy still around.

You would soon be standing behind him, as he focused on the lock. He was right there. You just had to do it. Do what Anya showed you. His neck was exposed. It was right there. You just had to do it.

You pulled your weapon out, and took in a deep breath.

Just as you brought your arm to swing, Jimmy turned around.

Happened in a flash. You made contact with his skin, but it was his cheek instead. He would tumble over, and was quick to kick your legs out from under you. Had you slam your back to the ground. Knocked the wind out of you.

“I fucking KNEW IT-! YOU GOD DAMN BITCH-!” Was like he wasn’t even human anymore. Just as much of an animal on the outside as he was on the inside. You had to run. You had to get out of there. You fucked up your perfect chance. Your messed up and he’s going to remind you that you did.

You attempted to get up, but Jimmy was just that much faster than you. Your ankle was grabbed, and he was yanking you closer. You couldn’t stop yourself from screaming, as he would try and pry the medical tool from you.

“GET OFF OF ME YOU RAPIST PIECE OF SHIT-!” You nearly sobbed, as he stared down at you. Your wrists pinned above your head, as he just gawked at you. Was like he never even heard the word before.

“Rapist? You think I’m a fucking rapist? You little fucking bitch. I’m no such damn thing. What happened between us was nothing of the sort. It was just what happens when someone gets in my way. Reaching your goals isn’t a crime. Is it?” He asked you, as you kept struggling under him. Trying to get away.

“Fuck. YOU-!” And you slammed your face into his. Gave you a blinding headache instantly, but the shock of contact was enough to make him let go. You were soon crawling, and now running, away.

“IM GOING TO KILL YOU! IM GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU LIKE IVE BEEN TRYING TO DO WITH CRASHING THIS STUPID SHIP!” His voice echoed like the demon from hell he was.

You never thought such fear like this could be in your body.

Your vision was a blurry mess from the head bang, but you just used the walls to offer you guidance. To try and find a place to breathe, and wait. To try again. You won’t give up. You refused to give up.

“COME BACK HERE-! YOU CANT RUN FOREVER! THERES NOWHERE ELSE FOR YOU TO GO-!” He would threaten you. His voice just seeming to be coming from everywhere. Was like he was inside of your own head. Like he was all of your insecurities crawling through your skull, and turning your brain into a mushy puddle of doubt and fear.

You still kept going.

You would find yourself back into the dinning hall, and took your chance in hiding in the kitchen area. Ducking down and hiding yourself by the elevated counters. If he kept running he shouldn’t notice you.

You would hold your knees, recollect yourself, and breathed.

The echoes of his running foot steps were like alarm bells in your ears. To hear them get closer, more distant, then closer again. Clearly having lost where you went, but still keeping up chance. How did he have so much energy? He must have been indeed hoarding resources. No way should someone surviving off mouthwash have this much stamina.

Your confused thoughts were cut short by the quickening pace of the foot steps. From banging on metal to proper flooring. He had entered the kitchen. He was breathing hard, and just boiling in anger.

“Where’s that fucking bitch? Where did that fucker go?” He would pant, as you would hear something sharp run over the counter marble. Must have grabbed a knife from his bedroom. Maybe that meant he left the door unlocked as well.

That could be your chance to get a proper weapon.

You just had to wait. Wait and pray he didn’t look over the counter.

You couldn’t tell where he was looking, but you needed to risk it. You would grab for one of the spoons off the ground, and threw it as far as you could. Into the hallway to the next part of the ship. You managed to get enough distance. The sound of metal hitting on the grates was loud. You swore you could feel the head thwip of Jimmy turning towards it.

“Found you-!” He shouted cockily, as he ran into that direction.

“Dumbass.” You muttered, as you soon ran the opposite way. Trying to find his room before he realized he was had.

You even went as far as to take off your shoes, so your feet made much less noise. Harder to be tracked and followed. Never did you think listening to Daisuke ramble about horror movie logic would come in handy. Gave some weird morbid hope that maybe Anya will be a final girl and make it out of here alive.

You would hear the foot steps echoing around you, as you tried to stalk quieter towards the dorm hallways. Was so hard to make out where they were going and coming from. The distant shouts of annoyance weren’t helping either. Was just making you more aware of your own mortality.

Luckily you managed to find the door. He snuck inside, and closed the door. Maybe he would think he locked it behind himself and not even think of checking in there. Maybe he was dumb enough to be fooled.

When in the room you couldn’t help but be disgusted by the sight. He really was hoarding food! The knives were also laid all out on his desk. Organized like he was planning to use them. There was also a trans communicator. Just as you thought there was. You thought it was suspicious there wasn’t a means to transfer information in case of an emergency. Even Pony Express had to have THAT. Suppose believing it was just consumed by foam was easier. Maybe it was and he dug it out himself.

No matter. You had hope.

You quickly grab the device, and turned it on. By god it WORKED!

“Hello? Hello?! This is the Tulpar for The Pony Express! We’ve been crash landed for months! Pony express has laid us off and hasn’t sent any rescue by proxy! Can you hear me?!” You couldn’t help but shout, as the transmitter would crackle.

“We read you loud and clear. How many are on the ship?” You were sobbing. No way. Someone was actually hearing you!

“Five! We have five people here! One in critical condition! Captain Curly! He’s alive! Alive but having suffered the most from the crash. We are running lower on medical supplies, we have very little food, we’ve been drinking fucking mouth wash to survive!” You weeped, as the person on the other end was taking in the information.

You said five for a reason.

“Keep on the line with us as we track your signal. Are you in any immediate danger?” The person asked.

“YES YOU ARE-!” Jimmy would shout behind you, before stabbing you right in your shoulder. You screamed bloody murder, as the person on the line gasped. Despite the pain, you were keeping your grip on the communicator. You weren’t letting go. No you fucking WONT.

“STUBBORN BITCH-!” He shouted at you, as you used your body to protect that communicator with all your body and life. You didn’t care if he was going to kill you now. You were getting everyone home. You were and you fufilled your mission.

“Just get it over with already you coward! How many people did you rape?! Huh?! Was Anya the first?! Like hell! She’s your most recent! Was Daisuke next?! Was I next?!” You called out, as you had nothing to lose anymore. You were going down with your own ship, unlike him.

“If you have to know, Anya wasn’t my last at least. She really thought leaving me alone with Curly was smart. Dumb whore-“ He would yank out the knife, making you bleed and scream. The hot searing pain was just beyond words. You were seeing stars, and not the kind you wanted.

“Was figuring how many I could get away with. Didn’t think she would actually tell anyone. Didn’t think much about her at all. Guess you live and learn. You live and l-“

Bang.

Silence.

Silence, the crackle of a communicator, and the ever breathing ship.

With a thud to the ground you were able to finally gain some vision to look over. Over to see Jimmy was dead on the ground, with a bullet hole through his forehead. Those terrifying eyes were now glsssy and empty. Looked almost relaxed. The only time he seemed to rest.

He was dead.

Your vision was blurring, and noise around you was muffled. All you could hear was muffled noise. Was like you were underwater. Your vision was starting to blur again as well. Couldn’t make out shapes.

You thought you saw someone with black hair above you. Seeming to grab something and speak into it. Was there something yellow to? Yellow and shaking you? There was also this almost pinkish blur as well. Came to you, and you swore you heard someone saying ‘you’re a hero’ before it all went to black.

One Month After The Call.

“Morning sunshine.”

You would groan, as you rubbed at your eyes. What happened? Was it all some bad dream? Where were you? This place didn’t look like the med-bay. Was so clean and white. There were windows too. Holy shit was that daylight? REAL daylight?

“Over here.”

You turned your head, and you saw him. Captain Curly. Looked so much better than when you last recalled him. His skin wasn’t as red, proper bandages were on him, and his lips even seemed to be healing back. Skin graphs? Was still laying in a bed, but far more cared for. Proper bedding, clean, IV bags, and…Wait…..Did he speak?!

“Been out a while. Don’t worry not much to catch you up on. You kinda went into a medical coma, from what Anya tried to explain to me. Everyone agreed to put you in the Cryo-Pod until help arrived. Was the only way to keep us both alive. All the resources had to go to me, sorry about that, so they had to pretty much freeze you in time. Big Swan had managed to make it function enough to work until the rescue team came for us. Welcome to the land of the living, hero.”

Even with his messed up complexion, and voice so hoarse you thought he himself was speaking through a communicator, you smiled. A hero huh? Wait. That meant….

“Did Anya pull the trigger?” You asked, with your own voice rasp from lack of use.

“Yeah. Yeah she did. We heard you screaming and she just….Couldn’t let you be his next victim. You gave her some bravery. I already knew she was brave, but damn. Who needs a Captain when you have her?” His laughter was painful, but you knew it was worth it.

“How’s everyone else?”

“Anya has been working with staff here. They took her in to be a doctor with them when they saw that the likes of me was still alive and functional. They really didn’t want to lose someone as smart as her. Daisuke has been glued here as much as us-“ He would weakly raise his arm, what’s left anyway, towards the sleeping solider. Curled up on a spare cot that was brought in for him. The staff having been understanding that he deserved to be around you both. His parents most likely were the ones to bring in all the video games for him to play with and show Curly as well. Even after so much he was still taking care of the ones he loved.

“Swansea?” You worried the most, since you wondered where he could be.

“Sueing the ever living fuck out of Pony Express for whatever damn dime they have left. Daisuke’s parents, and him, have been at the forefront on it all. He will come visit us soon. Get some rest, sunshine. You’ve earned it.” But you couldn’t help but worry. A worry that one person wasn’t accounted for.

“He’s dead. I do mean dead dead. By the time help arrived he had already well started decomposing. Swansea even went the extra mile and cut his head off from his body. Kinda overkill, but hey….Can’t take risks with monsters. Right?” You nodded at that, as you were able to rest.

No more Jimmy.

No more space ships.

Time to finally be a princess and get your beauty sleep.

“Sleep well, sunshine.”

“You to, Captain.”

A deep breath in of that sterilized air, fresh cut grass, and clean cotton.

You were free.

[hxney-lemcn]

General Romantic Headcanons — Anya, Daisuke x gn! reader

tw: none.

wc: 1k (~500 per character)

Master List

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Anya

❥Anya is really soft when it comes to the people she cares about. One of the reasons why she wanted to become a nurse was to help others, so it’s no surprise that she’s very caring, always looking out for you. It’s hard to keep friends in her line of work, so she cherishes you extra, finding solace in your company.

❥She feels a bit silly having a crush when she’s this old. Sure, she hasn’t reached middle aged yet, but having a crush over the age of twenty makes her feel a bit foolish. Yet you always seem to make her fall for you even more. The inside jokes, the late night discussions, your constant encouragement and strong willed belief in her makes her heart flutter. You had been by her side after so many of her lows, the constant rejections from med school and her long trips that separated you for years. She’s not sure what she did to deserve you.

❥When Anya has a crush on you she’ll be a bit more bashful yet confident at the same time. It’s a confusing mix. Some moments have her blushing and shying away, while others she’s teasing and complimenting you. If you tell her how pretty you find her or brush her hair behind her ear she’s done for. It’s like her heart won’t stop beating out of her chest and her face is bright red. Anya will hide her face, trying to stay calm. If she finds you shying away for one thing or another? It’s over, she’s like a cat who spotted its prey. She won’t let it go and continue to tease you until you combust. She loves seeing you in such a state, and it may seem out of character, but with you she feels comfortable enough.

❥Honestly, it's a toss of the coin who confesses first. After long enough, she’ll end up confessing during one of your nightly hangouts, going from how much she cares about you to how she wishes you were together. If you’re the one confessing, do it in a more private setting. She’s not the biggest romantic, but the quiet setting would feel more intimate to her, like it's just the two of you in the big, big world. Anya would be so happy that you both finally crossed that boundary, wishing it could’ve been sooner. 

❥When you start dating things won’t change much. Things just get a bit more comforting and homey. Neither of you hesitate with your innocent affection anymore, threading your fingers together without uncertainty or resting your head on the other’s shoulder without care. If anything you both hang out even more, going on small dates to cafes or reading books at home. What does change is how it's even harder to let her go when work calls. How you dread the upcoming year without her smile or laughter, or how frustrated she gets when she loses to you. 

❥But you don’t worry too much. Anya always comes back, and you’ll continue to be by her side when she inevitably applies to another med school. Listen to her rant about what she experienced, her minor grievances with her coworkers. It’ll be all the sweeter to have her back in your arms, watching the stars and pondering where your futures will lead.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥Daisuke

❥Like Anya, Daisuke is soft when it comes to those he loves. He’s just a bit more outgoing about it. The type to show someone a picture of you and be like ‘yeah, that’s my best buddy’. Yes, he is internally dying when he has to call you his friend. 

❥Hands down he’s so obvious with how he’s crushing. Daisuke basically becomes your personal butler with how fast he’s willing to stop what he’s doing for you. You’re hungry? Don’t worry, he’ll get you some food. You’re cold? Hold on, he’s got a really fluffy blanket you’ll love. He’ll take any excuse he can get to prove his worth to you (not that you need him too). He gets extra giddy when you both hang out. It’s just so chill, and he gets to spend more time with you, maybe buy you something that’ll remind you of him. 

Yeah…he’s down bad.

❥Finding reasons to love you? It comes naturally to him. It’s like every day he finds another thing that makes him want to squeeze you. Confessing? Hahaha…uhhh he’s having trouble on that front. Daisuke cherishes what you have so much, he finds it terrifying to shift things. He’s so blindsighted by his own feelings, he’s afraid he’s projecting the hints he thinks you’re giving him. So he keeps his feelings to himself, refraining from touching you for too long or saying something that may give him away…yeah he’s not as good at that as he thinks.

❥You’ll have to confess. Daisuke will just continue to beat around the bush, blushing and pretending like he wasn’t head over heels for you. Confess anywhere, Daisuke doesn’t mind. He’ll be too taken aback at the confession to care if people were staring or not. The moment you tell him you like him he’s on cloud nine. 

He nearly forgets to confess back…

❥Once it’s official (and boundaries are placed), Daisuke will be all over you. It’s like he’ll die if he isn’t touching you in one way or another. Loves love loves holding hands with you, extra points if you fidget with his fingers or rings. He not only loves feeling you by his side, but being useful (whether that be by being your guide in crowded spaces or a fidget toy for you to calm your racing mind) is his top need. It’s just so reassuring to know that you love him, need him, and rely on him. 

❥Loves any and all kinds of dates. From exciting ones like theme parks and haunted houses, to the lowkey ones like sleepovers and going to the park. Can barely take his eyes off you if you dress up (this could be just the smallest touch up like putting on perfume/cologne if you normally don’t or doing your hair differently). Can barely take his eyes off you if you don’t dress up tbh…

❥Daisuke finds himself finally looking forward to what his future holds.

[hunny-pp]

mouthwashing x cyberpunk au (bc what is brain rot if not mashing two current interests together into a smoothie)

au notes below cut:

-Curly, Jimmy, Anya and Swansea were a mercenary group sent on a heist in Arasaka - details of that doesn't matter but it was high stakes. Jimmy catches wind of something not going right, or that they were falling into a trap but keeps quiet. When they eventually do fall for the trap, Jimmy points it out far too late as Curly bears the brunt of an intense flame that pretty much fries him. Instead of helping Anya and Swansea, he leaves them to die and before he could escape, he was caught by Arasaka and eventually taken to be part of Mikoshi.

-Curly slowly recovers, implants and cybernetics applied on him slowly as to not shock him too much and trigger cyberpsychosis. He eventually becomes a fixer, reclusive and only communicating via text. Both Swansea and Anya quit the mercenary business completely, but still kept regular contact with Curly.

Swansea became a ripperdoc, maintaining his no-bullshit attitude which would scare off the seedy customers but keep the loyal ones. He only really goes on field to recover stolen supplies and chrome - only if he feels like he can't be bothered asking Curly to pull some strings for gigs. Anya became a medtech, before feeling stressed and isolated in that field, settling to become an owner of a small pharmacy, acting as a front and an occasional nurse for Swansea's ripperdoc clinic (kinda like Misty). She was worried she'd be accused of becoming a corpo now clawing her way back in, but she had nothing to worry about.

-Daisuke's a new mercenary, fresh into the business - having rejected his mother's offers for corporate jobs especially having grown up alongside people who later became Tyger Claws. He's slowly building up his street cred, but is finding it difficult to be taken seriously. He found himself incredibly lucky to be discovered by Curly, who was willing to give him a chance - giving him the higher stake jobs he's been wanting. To reward his good performance, he sends him to Swansea to get a free implant done. Swansea, initially alarmed by the youth, begrudgingly gives him that promised reward.

-Daisuke becomes more and more comfortable and accepted into their small circle, building rapport with Curly, befriending Anya and slowly earning Swansea's respect. He gets a mysterious text, asking him as the right professional for the job. He was told it was an urgent gig that he couldn't just ask and wait for a fixer to do. Thinking nothing of it as more than a gig, Daisuke takes it and Swansea is suspicious of the secrecy (Boy's a chronic yapper).

-The job was to steal an Arasaka relic in the middle of transport in the Badlands. All had been going well, until an unprecedented band of Wraiths came to hijack the Arasaka envoy, throwing Daisuke into a messy fight where the Relic got damaged, and encouraged by the mysterious texter, Daisuke slots the chip into his head before falling unconscious from the injuries. Swansea who had been tailing him drags him out and tends to his wounds while giving him an earful. He observes the chip while Daisuke gets flashbacks of the botched heist that changed Curly, Anya and Swansea's lives, but from the perspective of the one who betrayed them.

-Coming to, and telling Anya and Swansea this, they both tense up, Anya visibly reacting more. Anya rushes out, muttering that she has to call Curly, while Swansea tells Daisuke in the gentlest way possible, that if they don't take out that chip, Daisuke will slowly die and the person in that chip will take over his body. (Beat for beat V's story, pretty much). It all comes to a shock, both visibly upset by the circumstances but Daisuke tries to keep himself upbeat, asking if there's anyway to take it out. Before they could discuss any further, Anya returns. She tells Daisuke who the person living in his head is, and they explain the story of that night. Curly reveals himself, showing Daisuke what had become of him because of Jimmy's actions.

-Daisuke has to struggle in keeping his integrity and morality now while also shaking Jimmy out of his influence - I think unlike Johnny who - much to his chagrin, accepts V's agency, Jimmy would try and find a way to get Daisuke to relinquish control in varying ways. It's mentally exhausting and it makes him call into question his own self, but with the help of the others, he keeps himself intact as he finds leads to take the chip off.

-Because I want a good ending, and because it's about keeping integrity and inherent goodness in spite of the horrors and despair that influence someone for this AU, Daisuke will in time get Jimmy out of his head - and slowly recover from the withdrawal of the chip and regain his health and strength.

[professional-d]

@corvusphobia ‘s devyat mouthwashing au inspired me…. So …uh… brainrot.

Anya: Wanted to become a feather for K corp, rejected numerous times, so started working with the devyat to become more traveled and gain experience in order to increase her chances of getting into a wing. Has less combat experience due to using syndicate protections for the most of her life in order to get by. From Y corp. Daisuke: Nest dweller who was put into the association forcibly by parents in order to “toughen him up” a bit before he’d eventually get a job at a wing. Anxious about doing work for any association or wing. Would prefer to make cool weapons in a workshop. Little combat experience, but getting a knack for weapon fixing. From U corp. Sweansea: Seasoned fixer who’s worked for a number of different associations, but has been with the devyat for the longest out of everyone here. Experienced combatant, but his real specialty lies in working on weapons. Could easily start his own successful workshop if he was willing to quit being a fixer. From T corp. Jimmy: Former syndicate member (pinky) who is trying to go on the straight and narrow. Found this job thanks to curly. Decent combatant, though his real specialty lies in strategy, and is known for finding ways to bypass restrictions in poludnista’s AI. He tends to use it selfishly, unbeknownst to the rest of the crew. Originates from X corp. Curly: The captain. The leader. An excellent combatant who joined the devyat early on into adulthood. Picked up combat quickly and has a knack for working with the carrier case’s benefits and deficits. At times a strange woman speaks to him in his head, and he has to do a lot to resist her temptations. Originates from M corp. i had a lot of fun thinking abt this….i have fun…….

[jambalaya-enthusiast]

yandere....Jimmy....with a willing darling.... She's so head over heels for him and he just THRIVESSSSS off her attention and undivided affection... Imagine how smug he gets knowing she only looks at him even when the other members are talking to her... ohh my god

addicted.

Yandere! Jimmy x Obsessed! Darling.

warnings; toxic relationship themes, dubiously consensual acts,jimmy is a warning of his own.

Yandere! Jimmy,who thought that it was gonna be a pain in the ass to keep you to himself,to keep you from running away,to keep you quiet.

You can only imagine this man's sheer fucking joy and ecstasy when he notices your... willingness to let him go as he pleased with you.

He basically lives off your attention,your adoration...your praise..

But don't get too cocky tho,if he feels like you're belittling him. You'll be up for a rough night,not that you'll mind or anything...right?

Yandere! Jimmy who simply couldn't seen to keep his hands to himself,no matter where you guys are,his hands would constantly be on you at all times,it gives him reassurance that you're not going anywhere.

Jimmy hates it when you talk to anybody else but him,hell he even dislikes it when you look at any other direction other than his.

Whenever curly would wanna talk to you about certain chores,he would usually expect people to look at him,while speaking. Not with you tho,your eyes would leave the gaze of jimmy no matter what the consequences were.

Curly was jealous,oh he was. He just couldn't pinpoint as to how jimmy got so lucky in the 'love' department.

Whenever Daisuke would try to talk with you about anything in general,Jimmy's grasp would get a little...painful. he sometimes dug his fingernails so deep in you that it drew blood,but you don't mind. Daisuke would get so fucking sad seeing you ignore him so blatantly,and that would get jimmy rock hard,seeing you completely refusing to even acknowledge anybody else's existence but his.

Jimmy doesn't like you talking to Anya either,he thinks that she would try to 'fill your head up with nonsense' so you ignore her presence wholeheartedly as well,she gets so sad...so terrified to see you...so close with jimmy. but when she realises that you have no intent of leaving him. she begins to avoid you all together.

Yandere! Jimmy,who is happy that he doesn't have to put in much effort to discipline you.

But he's also.. disappointed,that he couldn't punish you for misbehaving. So he would make up his own deviant ideas to cover your body with bruises.

He has an insane dacryphilia kink,there's something about seeing you cry, begging him to stop. seeing you in pain turned him the fuck on.

He doesn't ever ask you,no,never. those things are beneath him and his darling,why would he need his darling's permission to do things? Afterall,you love him no matter what,right?

He chokes you,slaps you,pulls on your hair and ties you up during sex,just to see you in pain.

He rams into you without any warnings,and those squeals and moans of being in utter pain and discomfort is what keeps him going through it all.

But aftercare with him always feels so good,so warm,it takes away all the pain that he caused. After all, you love him not matter what,right?

But no matter what he does, Jimmy is always so nice....so good.... sometimes even too good. He makes you feel so special. How could you ever hate him? You could never hate him,never.

[lie-lacdreams]

Thermodynamics and Turmoil (Curly x Reader pt.2)

Hi friends -- I'm putting out the second installment to this quickly to gain some more momentum! Thank you for all of the support so far - I wasn't sure how well this was going to do but I hope you've been enjoying it. If you have any questions about the story so far, pls ask! I love interacting :)

Last Next

engineer! reader x Curly TW: vulgar language, mention of thermo transfer theories (EWWWW), and catching feelings (ew pt.2), oh, and the existential dread of unsatisfaction that ambition can bring to your life, leaving you hungry and wanting more Word count ~ 2.0k

“Daisuke, come back here! I’m going to kill you right now!!” A flash of pink passed Curly before halting to a quick stop to hide right behind him.

“Captain, please save me! Aaaah!” Daisuke screamed as he caught sight of (Y/N), who just came around the bend of the hallway hunting him down. 

“What’s going on here?” Curly asked, observing (Y/N’s) disheveled appearance. Her jumpsuit was zipped halfway up to her torso and her hair still looked disheveled from sleep. 

She slowed down to a stop, now embarrassed that she had been caught in such a state by the captain before replying, “This… one over here had the genius idea to turn off my alarm and I slept in three extra hours. Could you please hand him over so I could maim him?” She peered to the side of Curly to narrow her eyes at Daisuke, who let out a shriek and made himself smaller behind the man in front of him. 

“Oh? I had asked him to do that, actually,” he mused. 

“Pardon me?” she straightened.

“You looked so exhausted yesterday, you deserve a few extra hours of rest after giving yourself no breaks. He was just following Captain’s orders.”

“Oh… I see. Uhm, thank you. I guess you’re off the hook then, Dai. Has Swansea got you working on anything right now or do you want to come shadow me? I have to take a look at the pressure in the steam pipes.” she asked the intern. 

“Yes! Let’s go. I wanna hear about what you were up to all of yesterday. Swansea and I like, didn’t see you at all. Will you let me help out today?” He came out from behind Curly and started walking ahead of (Y/N), eager to please and for something to do. 

“Heh, sure. See you around, Captain.” she said a bit sheepishly, trailing behind Daisuke. After a good night’s rest and the initial panic of waking up late, the interaction with Curly finally sunk in for (Y/N). She typically kept her emotions so detached from the crew and her work and it almost horrified her how easily it was for her to open up to him last night in a moment of vulnerability. As much as it made her uncomfortable to realize that she had run her mouth and ranted to him, she woke up with a feeling of relief. Sure, her job was still going to be hard, but knowing that her captain believed in her and was willing to help in any way he could gave her a sense of peace. 

She stopped by some pipes in the corner of the hallway and turned to Daisuke. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

After a few hours of working and (Y/N) explaining Nusselt theory with Daisuke half listening, she finally called for a break. 

“Nerd,” he teased as he stuck his tongue out at her. “How did you even come to like any of this stuff anyway?” They leaned on the wall, sitting on the floor together.

“I don’t know. To be honest, I never really knew what I wanted to do in my undergrad. I just picked chemical engineering because it was kinda interesting but hard and so rewarding when I understood it. Getting my PhD in it after working for a few years just seemed like a natural next step.” She turned to Daisuke. “I know you’re in college now, and everyone is probably asking you the same thing and you’re sick of hearing it but what do you want to do?”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” he started. “I think everyone around me has these expectations that I’ll do something great, and I’m so scared of disappointing them. They say the sky’s the limit and that’s what scares me. I could do anything with my life, so how do I know that whatever I choose won’t be the wrong path?”

“I don’t believe in such a thing as a wrong path,” she responded. “Whatever you choose, you make the best of it and try your hardest. Everything happens for a reason.”

Under his breath, Daisuke laughed. “Man, maybe Anya should hand over the wellbeing check-ins to you. You’re like, so philosophical.”

“Oh God, no. I could never be held responsible for people like that. I’d go mad.” She stood up, dusting off her pants and held a hand to him. “I think we’re pretty much done for the day, believe it or not. Wanna go play some Uno?”

Spending the rest of the day relaxing after the past few days of struggling was refreshing and just what she needed. That night she finally joined the rest of the crew for supper, laughing with Anya about something too far away for Curly to hear. Their little family was complete tonight and it was moments like these that Curly savored. He wished that every moment on the Tulpar could be like this. 

A few days later, Curly was exiting the cockpit and was startled to nearly trip over (Y/N). “I’m so sorry, Captain. I had no idea you were in there.” She looked up from her mess of manuals, a notebook, and trusty abacus, a pencil tucked behind her ear. 

“It’s alright. Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yes, just looking at our fuel today and trying to make the Tulpar cooperate with me.” She furrowed her brows. 

“Need a hand with anything?” He offered, crouching down to look at the paper in her hands. 

“O-Oh, only if you aren’t busy, then yes, I would love some help, actually. But I don’t want to be a burden.”

He shook his head. “Nonsense. The ship’s on autopilot right now and Jimmy will take over for me in fifteen minutes anyway so I’m all yours.”

“Okay,” she flushed. “Thank you, come with me please.” She led him a few paces away. “See this? If you could read me some of the values over here that would be great. This here is the manometer, it measures pressure and over here is the oxidizer. There are a few things I need you to read aloud to me.”

After getting all the information she needed, she bid Curly goodbye and looked around for a place for her to do her calculations. Settling for the couch in the lounge, she got to work when Daisuke plopped down right next to her. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” he started.

“ ‘Sup?” She asked, distracted.

“Fuck, marry, kill: anyone on this ship.” His lips spread into a shit-eating grin. 

“Fuck Curly, marry Anya, kill Jim– wait a minute, what??” She looked up from her notebook. 

Daisuke’s eyes lit up before his face twisted into an expression of evil delight. “Ohohohoo yooo (Y/N) you wanna fuck the captain?”

“No!! Stop that!! You asked me that while I was distracted and not really paying attention. That’s not true.” She swatted at him.

“Sure, but that doesn’t change your answer now, does it? Damn, you answered that shit with no hesitation too!” He shrugged his eyebrows. “Since when did you have the hots for the captain?” 

“Sure, I find him really attractive, okay? I admit it. It’s not that big of a deal. Okay then, what about you?” She crossed her arms, face flushed and flustered. 

Daisuke’s face contorted to one of disgust. “Eww nah I can’t do this! Swansea and Jimmy are just-” he made dry heaving sounds. “You and Anya are like my older sisters, so that’s absolutely not happening. And Curly – okay I agree with you on that one but like, he’s so much older.” he shrugged. 

She let out a ‘harrumph’ before going back to her work. “Doesn’t Swansea have something for you to do, huh?” 

Daisuke shook his head. “I’m just waiting ‘til dinner.” He kept her company on the couch as she worked, playing on his gameboy and trying his best to stay quiet so she could concentrate. Supper was a quiet affair today, with not everyone showing up to eat at the same time. People came and went, in and out of the lounge, eventually going to bed. (Y/N) was still up, now in loose pajama pants and a sweatshirt, criss-crossed on the couch and reading a book in the light of the night time screen. Anya had already gone to bed and so she sat in the lounge so as to not disturb her sleep.

“Hey,” said the captain. “Mind if I join you there?” She smiled up at him before patting a spot next to her on the sofa, inviting him to sit with her. She noticed that he was still in uniform as he sat down, draping an arm over the couch and facing her. 

“You weren’t there at dinner today, did you have a chance to eat?” She asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Anya brought Jimmy and me dinner. We’re heading straight for a belt of asteroids so we had to do a bit of charting and manual steering to make sure we don’t crash. We should be fine and taken care of now,” he massaged his temples with a hand.

“You look pretty tired, Captain. If you were busy today, you know you didn’t need to help me out, right? Take care of your obligations first.” She looked up at him and the blue glow of the large screen somehow seemed to soften the look in his blue eyes. Dammit, Daisuke, she thought. Admitting the captain was handsome out loud only made her more aware of it. Even with bags under his eyes and the rugged state of his beard, she couldn’t help but blush under his gaze, so she turned to look at the fake moon on the screen. 

“No, I enjoyed helping out today. Ever since you opened up to me, I want to make sure that you have the support that you need. It’s my responsibility, after all.” He followed her gaze to look at the display screen as well.

“Don’t you ever get burnt out juggling all of this? It’s a lot to pile onto just one person, and the company makes it even worse by making things accessible only through you. And in the end, you’re the one who’s responsible for our performance on this trip.” She turned back to him now, concerned. 

“Sometimes, I guess. I started here on a pretty low rung of the ladder, but I always dreamed of doing something greater. The higher and higher I climbed, the more complicated things got, more liabilities were piled on, but I couldn’t help but keep climbing. There’s still something missing from my life, and even if I get to the top, I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever be satisfied.”

(Y/N) paused for a moment to think. “Would you ever leave this line of work to pursue something completely new, even if it meant having to start over from the beginning?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’ve done it once before, so it isn’t that intimidating to have to do it again.”

She nodded. “That’s very admirable. In a sense, it seems like you know what direction you know you want to go in, even if what you want isn’t clear. I respect you a lot for that, Captain.”

Curly shook his head. “Please, I think we all in one way or another are trying our best out here. We all have responsibilities we have to take care of by being on this ship.” He glanced at her again. “And honestly, you know you can call me Curly, right? Jimmy does it, my friends back on Earth called me that too. At this point we’ve gotten pretty vulnerable with each other over the past few days.”

“Okay, C-urly. Maybe not on duty, but right now it doesn’t sound too bad.” (Y/N) was praying that the glow from the screen concealed her hot and flushed face. After these past few days of getting to know the captain a bit better, it was so easy for feelings to snowball. Brushing the fluttery feeling she had aside, she stood up. “I think I’m going to head to bed now. I hope you’ll do the same, Curly. Thank you for being vulnerable with me.”

After he heard the door shut quietly, he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, giving the display screen one last look before getting up and going to bed himself.

------------------

Thanks for reading! Give me a few days and I'll be back. Cheers!

[canonically47]

i don’t like how almost the entire fandom is on jimmy’s ass but loves curly. while jimmy undoubtedly did worse things, curly PROTECTED HIM. you cannot stand there at your computer and type straight-faced about how ‘jimmy is a horrible monster!! ...but curly could treat anya sooooo well’ like HUH??? this game is NOT about how jimmy is the worst person alive ever WITHOUT also the message of curly being AT LEAST half as bad.

because HE KNEW. and i think this is also beautifully represented through his design. he chose to turn a blind eye to anya’s struggles, HE CHOSE TO NOT SEE, and then, after the crash, he found himself with one eye constantly open, FORCED TO SEE. and by god did he see. he saw, first-hand, how protecting his absolute bastard of a friend led to the death of the entire crew and their prolonged sufferring. i saw one person suggest that the scene in which swansea kills daisuke could be from curly’s POV since it aligns perfectly with the hallway and the look he would get of the scene.

so curly, who once always protected his friend and turned a blind eye to his misdemeanors, is now forced to see these terrible events unfold firsthand. because guess what? it’s about half of curly’s fault for these events jimmy creates. because he could have prevented so much if only he wasn’t part of this toxic culture of males protecting each others from the consequences of their own actions.

now before i get any angry comments or reblogs: i do not despise curly. i do not even despise jimmy as a character. i condemn their actions 110%, ESPECIALLY jimmy’s - but i think they’re such deep and shockingly real, raw depictions of humans that not only could, but DO exist. as concepts and characters, i admire wrong organ for their bravery to create them into existence - and i hate them as people. again, they are representatives of the toxic culture males have in which they protect each other (“my buddy couldn’t have raped/SA’d/etc her because i know him and he wouldn’t do that!!” etc etc.) and it is so upsetting but so necessarry to witness this. i just wish the fandom would be willing to witness it fully, not just go “FUCK JIMMY” “so sorry you had to draw jimmy” while simultaneously pushing out curly x reader or saying shit like “curly just wanted everyone to be happy :(” “curly would treat anya better” etc etc.

this is such a raw and real story once again ruined by a fandom whose minds are rotted by hehe hot man, toxic yaoi, and amatonormativity. and yea that sounds funny when you read it but so many of the messages of the game are ignored in favor of all the above. i’m tired of it!!!

TL;DR: i condemn both jimmy AND curly’s actions and i think that you guys should not give curly a pass for protecting jimmy. if you’re going to call jimmy a horrible fucked-up monster, acknowledge that curly enabled him time and time again.

[mizzcap]

Interested in a mouthwashing rp?

hey! I'm sorry that I've been taking so long to update! I actually have a Daisuke X Male reader in the world! I just work super slow😭

While you all wait, I have a Mouthwashing RP book you all can check out! Once again I'm so sorry and I'm doing my best (*crying cat emo-gee*)

(also for those who would like to buy don't have Wattpad; DM me on here, I am more than willing do so here!)

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Hurricanes / Hummingbirds: XVI

Series Synopsis: As the years go by, you find that it is incredibly difficult to survive wars and fight storms, especially when the only thing you have by way of a cursed technique is the blessing of a tiny bird.

Chapter Synopsis: You finally rescue Daisuke’s girl.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Hajime Kashimo x Female Reader; slight Kento Nanami x Female Reader; slight Satoru Gojo × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 6.3k

Content Warnings: swearing, enemies/rivals to lovers, character death, canon-typical violence, angst, gore, original characters included

A/N: sorry i haven’t been updating this much recently!! i’m trying to finish up one of my other fics so i haven’t had a ton of time to work on this one but here is something to tide you all over (i hope)

“She’s very beautiful,” the boy said. “I’ve only seen her once or twice, but I remember that much. She’s beautiful, but it’s in a strange way. Like she’s not quite the same as the rest of us.”

“Who?” you said.

“Lord Tachibana’s concubine,” he said. “Though I don’t think she’s much older than you, ma’am. I brought her food once, when she was sick — she’s sick frequently, by the way — and that’s when I saw her.”

“Do you think that our girl is the same as this concubine?” you said. The boy shrugged.

“I can’t say for certain, but it would definitely make sense. Lord Tachibana spent quite a while in her room after you and that man left. I think he was upset about your visit,” he said.

“Very well. I suppose I should endeavor to meet this concubine; at the least, maybe she’ll be able to give us a little more information than Lord Tachibana was willing to part with,” you said. “Thank you for your help, dear boy. Can I ask you for one more thing?”

“Yes, ma’am. What is it?” he said.

“Tell me how to reach her,” you said. “The concubine, that is; how is it that I may speak to her without Lord Tachibana finding out?”

For being as young as he was, the boy was excellent at laying out plans. His recall was impressive, and the ideas he had were admittedly faultless. You praised him for it, telling him to run inside and ask the innkeeper for anything he wanted, promising you’d pay. He was happy to oblige, shouting his gratitude over his shoulder as he darted towards the inn, presumably before you could change your mind.

The waves had washed away the evidence of your fight with Tori, smoothing over the gouges in the sand and the depression your body had made when it had hit the ground during the torpor. You looked at your wheel necklace, the way the moonlight shone through the three clear wedges which represented Nezumi, Usagi, and Tori respectively.

Only nine left. Only nine more Beasts, and then you would have to face Ten himself. Would you be able to find the girl in time? Would you be able to have one of Daisuke’s weapons at your side, or would you have to fight the king of the sky with the sword you had been given by Hisashi?

“You’re still out here?” Kashimo said. You weren’t sure when he had come out, but at some point while you were lost in your thoughts, the air had indeed grown electrified by his presence. He was a few paces away, feet planted in the dry sand and arms crossed, a dark scowl on his sharp features as he regarded you.

The sea lapped at your ankles, the wind in your hair as you twisted your upper body to face him, extending your hand. His eyes widened before the harshness gentled into something else. An emotion you had never seen before, not on him. Slowly, as if he was still supremely unsure, he reached out his own hand towards your own, stretching out as if he wanted to take it.

He was not close enough, though. The distance between your fingertips was paper-thin, but it was there, stopping them from touching. And then another wave came crashing down on the shore, chasing after Kashimo, who retracted his hand and skittered backwards, eyeing the water warily.

The moment was lost. Your hand dropped to your side, and you returned your attention to the horizon, admiring the stars which carpeted the sky.

“Y/N,” he said. You cocked your head, and then you inhaled in surprise. His face scrunched with determination, he had taken one single step towards you, crushing the lingering foam which remained on the ground as he did so.

Another step, and then another. He did not look at his feet nor at the sea when he did so. His eyes remained firmly on you the entire time. Another step. One more.

“You’ve done it,” you said. “Kashimo, you’re walking in the water.”

“No,” he said, and this time when you held out your hand, he was close enough that he could grasp at it. “I am walking to you.”

His fingers interlocked with yours. Small sparks danced between you both, but they diffused into nothingness the longer you held onto each other. For a good while, you were silent, your joined hands hanging between you, the breeze cool against your faces, the song of the waves both calming the mounting tension and amplifying it.

“Why did you come into the water?” you said again, quietly. Neither of you looked at one another; it would be different if you did. The meaning would change. It was fine when you were just staring at the moon, but if you had to see his face, then it would not be alright anymore. You would realize something that you didn’t yet want to realize.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I suppose I wanted to get over my fear.”

“And do you feel as if you have?” you said.

“Yes,” he said. He was not looking at the moon anymore; in your peripheral vision, you saw that he was looking at you. “Yes, I believe that is the case.”

“Even a child could kill you now,” you said, swallowing. “That doesn’t make you afraid?”

“No,” he said. “Not at the moment.”

“I could kill you now,” you said, whipping around, gripping his biceps, like you could physically impress your conviction upon him. “Does that not make you afraid, either?”

“No,” he said. “I’ve never been afraid of that.”

You found your eyes lingering on his lips, and you dug your fingers into his arms, as if by causing him pain, you could force your own thoughts onto a better track. You shouldn’t have turned. You should’ve stayed facing forwards. But then again, you thought that there was probably no world in which you did not make that mistake, no rendition of you that did not shift to look at him. It would always be like that. You would always be looking at him.

“Kashimo,” you whispered, drawing closer to him. He blinked, not making any moves to close the distance but also not trying to escape, either. “We’re going to find the girl soon. Once we do, and once Daisuke gives me my sword, there’ll be no reason for us to meet with each other, will there? Not until after I defeat Ten.”

“I suppose that’s true,” he said.

“But I don’t want that,” you confessed. Water splashed against your shins, salt roughening your skin and leaving a dry feeling in its wake. “I still want to see you.”

“Why?” he said.

“Do you really not know?” you said. He trained his attention to the swirling bubbles of the frothy waves breaking against the shore. You weren’t sure if he was avoiding you, or if he was just truly fascinated by the fact that he had finally done it, that he was actually in the water.

“No,” he said. “I really don’t.”

Abruptly, you let go of him, clearing your throat. He must’ve been lying to spare your feelings, but you appreciated him and his efforts. It did make you feel a little better than a flat out rejection would’ve, but only marginally so.

“I apologize,” you said. “We should go now. It’s important that we get enough rest. Reaching this concubine is dependent on us performing at our best.”

Without waiting for a response, you left him behind, pursing your lips in an effort to maintain whatever shreds of dignity you could muster.

You weren’t sure why you had said something like that. What had you even thought would come of it? You were supposed to marry Hisashi. Kashimo wanted to kill you. What kind of a foolish woman were you, that you were set to marry a kind man, a handsome man, a rich man, and yet you were doubting that union? Why would you ever trade Hisashi for Kashimo? A diamond for a storm? Yet it remained that for a moment, you had earnestly considered doing it. If Kashimo had answered differently, then perhaps you would’ve done it.

But he hadn’t. Maybe he was smarter than you in that aspect. Certainly he had more control over his emotions, which was not something you thought you’d ever say about a man ruled by his whims. You had been lucky that his whims had not led you astray this time. Next time, you might not be so fortunate.

You let your finger rest on your lips, trying to imagine what it would’ve been like. Would there have been sparks? Not the figurative kind, but literal electricity, the side effect of his cursed technique. It might’ve chased someone else away, someone lesser who feared being burnt by his lightning, but not you. In fact, you were like a moth to his flame, all the more excited by its presence.

Yet you shouldn’t be. You ought to remember what happened when a moth flew into a lantern, how they burned into smoke in an instant. It would not be good for you. It would kill you. He would kill you.

You wondered if, for that brief instant before a moth’s immolation, it was happy. Did it find some joy in finally reaching the thing it desired most, even if it would inevitably die at its hands? And if that was the case, then was that joy worth it? Knowing the consequences, would the moth still fly into the fire? Would it willingly die, just for that single moment when it felt like it had reached the sun?

The next morning, the sky was restless. Dark storm clouds gathered overhead, and the sea, which had been so calm only the night before, was choppy and harsh. There was a promise of rain in the air, or was it a threat? Anyways, it was obviously soon going to storm, which meant that you had to enact the boy’s plan as soon as possible.

“You’re sure this will work?” Kashimo grumbled. The boy seemed nervous, but he nodded.

“There’s no guarantee, but it’s your best chance,” he said, though you noticed he took the initiative to hide behind your leg, where he must’ve assumed he was safe from Kashimo. You patted him on the head.

“We’ll give it a chance. If it doesn’t work, then it’s not a problem. We always have our last resort,” you said.

“Which is?” Kashimo said.

“Brute force, of course. Even just one of us could outmuscle the entire mansion; with the two of us, it won’t be difficult at all. I’d prefer to not do that unless we absolutely have to, though,” you said. “It’ll get messy if we do.”

“Right,” Kashimo said. The boy, to his credit, did not question how just one of you would be enough to beat every single resident of the Tachibana Mansion. Privately, you thought that he’d make a fine addition to the Gojo household.

“Let’s be off, then. You remember what we have to do?” you said.

“Yes, yes,” Kashimo said. “You don’t have to nag me. I won’t put a foot wrong. Have we decided upon a signal yet, though?”

You looked up at the sky, trying to think of a way you could send a message to Kashimo from far away. If the roles were reversed, it would not be that difficult — a single bolt of lightning would be enough to let you know that he was ready. But you did not possess anything that showy or bright, so you’d have to figure something else out.

“I’m not quite sure yet, but I promise you’ll know,” you said.

“How?” he said, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows at him.

“You just will. You’ll see it, and you’ll think of me, and because of that, you will know exactly what it means,” you said.

His jaw clenched, but he did not argue further, only swinging onto his horse and waiting for you to do the same.

“I’ll see you later, then,” he said. “One way or another.”

“Yes,” you said. “Good luck. Don’t — don’t do anything stupid.”

He scoffed. “I never would.”

With that, he galloped off, in the direction of the Tachibana Mansion. You watched him go for a moment, allowing the boy to stroke your mare’s nose as you waited.

“Ma’am,” the boy said. “That man…”

“Yes? What about him?” you said. The boy peered up at you through lowered lashes, as if he was very shy about what he wanted to say next.

“It will be difficult for you to signal him in the way you are speaking of,” he said.

“What do you mean? Why is that?” you said. The boy was blushing now, the subject obviously an embarrassing one for a child his age.

“He’s always thinking of you,” he said. “You could send him the entire world as a signal, or you could send nothing at all. It wouldn’t change the pattern of his thoughts any.”

The steady rhythm of your mare’s canter was the only thing that served to calm the turmoil of your mind. She covered ground at a rolling pace, rocking you with her comfortable gait into a calmer sense of self. You wished you could just keep riding forever, until you were someone completely different, with no responsibilities or entanglements.

That was impossible. Eventually, you reached the Tachibana Mansion, slowing the mare to a trot and then a walk, halting her by where Kashimo’s horse was tied and doing the same so that you could enter the mansion as a distinguished guest.

It was the same older woman from yesterday that answered the door. She seemed surprised to see you, or maybe it was not you but the fact that you were alone that was so shocking to her. Either way, for just one second, her composure dropped, before it was back to normal.

“Why have you returned?” she said.

“I thought it might be more beneficial for me to have an audience with the lady of the house,” you said. The woman exhaled.

“Lady Tachibana has been dead for a few weeks now,” she said.

“I am very sorry for your loss,” you said. “It is always difficult when such tragedies strike.”

“It certainly is,” she said. “Is that all, then?”

“No, it is not. I’ve heard Akihiro — Lord Tachibana, that is — has a concubine. Might I be able to meet with her, in the lady’s stead?” you said.

“How did you hear about her?” the woman said, voice growing icy for a second before she sighed. “Of course. It was probably that blabbering doctor. I told Lord Tachibana not to let him make a house call, but when have I ever been listened to?”

“You don’t deny her existence,” you noted.

“Why would I?” she said rhetorically. “You already know. There’s no point in lying. Ordinarily, I’d tell you to take your concerns to Lord Tachibana, but he’s busy with another caller at the moment, so it’ll have to do. Anything for the lady of the Gojo house, huh?”

This last part was said with no small amount of sarcasm, but there was an undercurrent of fear. It was like you had said yesterday: whether or not you were bluffing, they could not afford to call you on it. The seed of doubt was enough to taint their actions, and good thing, too, because you actually weren’t bluffing. You really were the lady of the Gojo household, or at least you one day would be; regardless, Hisashi would not take kindly to any insult against you and, by extension, your associates.

“It will not take long. It is just one of those matters that I believe is a conversation better suited for a woman’s ears,” you said. The old woman guffawed.

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” she said. “It can be difficult, telling a man about the more sensitive matters. I sincerely apologize that you must meet with a concubine, though. I trust you are not insulted?”

“I understand the circumstances, so I’m not. Once again, I am deeply sorry for the situation. Losing any family member is difficult, and I’m sure Lady Tachibana was well-loved,” you said.

“She was, at that. More than that odd little girl that he calls a concubine,” she said. You pretended to gasp.

“Is that so!” you said. “What makes her so odd?”

“Her hair is gold, for one, and her eyes are a strange color. Like a field covered by fog,” she whispered conspiratorially. “More importantly, she’s—”

“She’s?” you prodded. The woman gave you a suspicious look, shaking her head. Any hints of camaraderie had vanished as you reached a small door.

“It’s not my business, nor is it yours. Anyways, you’ll meet her soon enough,” she said. “It’s just up those stairs.”

“She’s in the attic?” you said. The woman shrugged.

“She is. I’m not allowed to go up there without Lord Tachibana, so you can go by yourself. Don’t take long, though; it wouldn’t be good for anyone if he catches you with her,” she said. You saw her throat bob as she swallowed, and for the first time, you realized that she was putting herself in danger to do this. But why? Did she really care that much about helping you? Or was there some other reasoning to it?

“Thank you,” you said, bowing at her before opening the door, coughing as plumes of dust flew in your face, blinking so that your eyes could adjust to the dim lighting.

The stairs creaked as you walked up them cautiously, unsure of which ones might give out — they all seemed close to doing so, as if they were one misstep from collapsing entirely. Therefore, it took you twice as long as it should’ve to ascend into the attic proper. Despite all the extra time, though, you were not at all prepared for the sight you were met with when you reached it.

There was a small cot in the corner, and looped around the frame was a heavy chain. Spots of dried blood littered the ground, and there were metal bars over the window, though they were an extravagance, an unnecessary reminder of the inhabitant’s situation. After all, it wasn’t like she could ever escape that way — because that very chain which was attached to the bed led to a manacle locked around the ankle of a gaunt looking girl who could only be the concubine, though you had never in your life seen a concubine being treated in such a manner.

Her hair might’ve once been a brilliant gold, like sheaves of wheat, but now it was dull and lank, falling down her back and in her face like a greasy curtain. Just as the woman had said, her eyes were green, but it was a resigned, blank shade. Her skin was pale to the point of translucence, a sure symptom of sun deprivation, and her body was unnaturally hollow and bony, as if she didn’t get enough food.

“What a joke,” you said, stepping towards her. “This is how such a self-important man treats his concubine. What is your name?”

She flinched as you drew closer, but she did not try to run away. She must’ve just been that resigned to her fate. She only dropped to her knees, bowing her head at you.

“Tullia,” she whispered.

“Tullia,” you repeated. “A name from a land where they have a Pope instead of an Emperor?”

“Yes,” she said, daring to look up at you. “How did you know that?”

“Someone told me,” you said. “He goes by Kashimo now, but I believe you knew him as Hajime Jigoku.”

She gasped, and then she was clenching the fabric of your clothes in her hands, clinging to you like you were a lifeline. You pushed her hair behind her ears, taking in her sweet face and wondering what she had ever done to deserve such treatment.

“Hajime is alive?” she said, her voice breaking.

“Yes,” you said. “Did you think he wasn’t?”

It was a little strange to hear. Kashimo was the person who defined living, who was so utterly alive that the air around him burned with it. The thought of him being dead actually did not even make sense. But then again, what part of any of this made sense?

“I always waited for him and Daisuke,” she said. “I used to fight back, because I knew — I knew that they would come for me. But they never did. Then he said that they were dead, so I just…gave up. But you mean to tell me that they’re alive? Both of them, or just Hajime?”

“They’re both fine,” you said. “They’re alive. I came on Daisuke’s behalf, because he wanted to see you again. Kashimo — Hajime, he offered to help me find you.”

“So they’ve been alive all this time?” she whimpered. “They’ve been alive, and they never — why did they never — I waited for so long for them. Did they forget about me?”

“They thought you ran away,” you said, holding her face in your hands, using your thumbs to wipe away her tears. “They thought that you were better off without them. They thought you didn’t want to be found. But I can promise that they definitely missed you. They definitely didn’t forget about you.”

“I want to see them,” she said. “I want to see them again. I want to see Daisuke. Please, take me to Daisuke.”

“That’s why I’ve come,” you said. “Though you’re in no shape to travel far at the moment. The first order of business is getting you out of here, and then we’ll spend some time allowing you to recover before traveling back to where he’s staying.”

Standing, you unsheathed your sword. Tullia’s eyes widened as you raised it above your head before slamming it down on the chain binding her to the bed. Ordinarily, it might not have had much of an impact, but because you had reinforced the blow with pure cursed energy, it sliced through the metal like it was nothing. Spinning the sword in your hand, you maneuvered it into a better position so that you could repeat the process on the barred window, which was theoretically large enough for you both to fit through.

“Are we going to leave through there?” she said, looking first outside and then back at you in horror. You nodded, sheathing your sword once more.

“I possess the Hummingbird’s Blessing. On my honor and that of my deity’s, I promise that I will get you out of here safely. Do you trust me?” you said.

“This is like a dream,” she confessed. “I didn’t think I’d ever be saved. I thought I’d die up here, alone and in the dark, but now here you are. It doesn’t matter if I trust you or don’t; in the end, I have no other choice.”

And so, you grabbed the arm of Daisuke’s girl, the one you had been searching for for so long. Backing up, you did not even bother to activate your cursed technique before taking off at a sprint, dragging her behind you. Then, ignoring her shriek of surprise and twisting so that you were curled around her, you jumped out of the window.

With one hand, you held onto Tullia, and with the other, you reached out and wrapped your fingers around the branch of a cherry blossom, hissing as the rough bark scratched at your palm. Bracing one leg against the trunk of the tree and wrapping the other around the branch, you loosened your grip and used your second hand to catch Tullia, stopping her from ramming into the tree at full speed. Your fall thus broken, you took a second to breathe before setting Tullia on the branch and clambering down to the ground with the swiftness of a monkey.

“Jump!” you called up to her. “I’ll catch you.”

You thought she might hesitate a bit more, but she was as game as anything. A second later, she crashed into your arms, eyes screwed shut, like she had not quite believed you would catch her despite your words to the contrary. You set her on her feet gently, letting her use your arm for support.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “I forgot how nice it was outside.”

“How long were you in there?” you said. She shook her head.

“I don’t know. It was hard to keep track of the time,” she said. “We should leave the grounds before someone sees me. Now that I’ve escaped, I don’t think I could ever go back. Please don’t — you won’t let him take me back, will you?”

“Of course not,” you said. “I’ll kill him before I let that happen. We can go as soon as I figure out what kind of a signal I should send to Kashimo.”

“Kashimo?” she said. “Ah, of course. Hajime. It’s not a surprise he chose a new name for himself. He never did like being called Jigoku.”

You were reminded of the fact that this girl knew Kashimo in a way you did not and never could. She had been there in his youth, had known him back before he was the god of lightning, when he was just a boy trying desperately to prove himself as someone worthy of living.

What would be a signal you could send him? What was something within your power which you could use to alert him of the fact that you had gotten Tullia, that he was free to leave the audience with Akihiro Tachibana behind?

“Do you think he knows anything about flowers?” you said. Tullia frowned, clearly deep in thought. You took the moment to work the manacle free from her ankle, letting it fall to the ground, exposing a strip of skin rubbed raw by the metal.

“Daisuke tried to teach him at one point, I think. I’m sure he remembers whatever he learnt, though I don’t know how much Daisuke got to,” she said.

“Alright,” you said. Reaching behind her, you plucked a red camellia from a nearby bush, twirling the blossom in your hands before smiling at it. This would do as a signal, provided Kashimo understood it. Calling upon a story, you tried to recall the layout of the mansion.

You have been given the Speed of the Hummingbird!

Taking off with that same thunder-like sound which always rang out at your acceleration, you raced in a blur to where you believed the window of the drawing room was. Not even slowing your pace, you placed the camellia on the sill, disappearing before anyone noticed your presence. The storm covered your tracks; the noise of your running could be put down to thunder, while the breeze left in your wake would be nothing more than a normal occurrence with such weather.

“That should be enough,” you said. “Watch over me for a second.”

“Watch over you?” Tullia said. You yawned.

You will now enter the Torpor of the Hummingbird.

You awoke from the torpor almost instantly, and as well you should — you had barely even used your cursed technique, so there was no reason for it to have any massive drawback. Tullia was still standing there, bewildered, and you were still on your feet.

“Sorry, it’s the drawback of my technique. We should go now, though; hopefully Kashimo sees the flower soon and realizes what I meant by it,” you said.

You let Tullia ride in front of you, reaching around her frail body to hold your reins. In that way, you were able to support her while also steering your horse. Once you reached the inn, you helped her down and told the innkeeper to make some tea for her while you waited for Kashimo to come.

“You met with the concubine?” he said as he burst into the room, eyes immediately on you, ignoring everything else.

“Yes. You got my signal?” you said.

“A red camellia,” he said, sounding very proud of himself for figuring it out. “It represents a noble death. A perfect choice for the occasion. You were right; it did make me think of you.”

“Oh,” you said. “Right, it does mean that as well.”

“Hajime?” Tullia said, her voice soft like she couldn’t believe her eyes.

It took a lot for Kashimo to show any emotion, so the fact that his lips parted even slightly at the sound of Tullia’s voice proved that a part of him had not really expected to ever find her. The missing piece of his childhood, the girl his best friend was in love with…you could not fathom what it felt like for him to reunite with her.

“You look like shit, Tullia,” he said finally. Tullia laughed ruefully.

“I guess it really must be you, huh? Only you would say something that crass,” she said.

“I can’t believe you ran away and ended up in a situation like this,” he said. “Do you regret it now?”

“Ran away?” Tullia said, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back against the wall. “It’s no surprise that that’s what they told you all. Actually, I didn’t run away at all.”

“What do you mean?” Kashimo said. He hadn’t seen where she was living, so he probably didn’t realize what she was getting at, but you had, and a kind of despair shot through your whole body as you understood what she was implying.

“I was sold,” she said. “Akihiro Tachibana did not dare defile his wife with his darker perversions, so he went looking for a girl that no one would miss. A girl who had nothing resembling a family to care about her. When he found me, he told the mistress he’d pay to take me if she promised to make it like I never existed. That must be why she told everyone I ran away.”

“Sold?” Kashimo said. It was the opposite of everything he believed in, so his shock was understandable. This girl who he had known since he was young, the one he thought was laughing in the sea without them, had been sold. She hadn’t left at all but had been forcibly taken.

“They locked me in that attic you saved me from, chained me to the bed and installed bars on the window just to ensure that I didn’t try to run away. I know it must seem like I was starved, but actually, they fed me well enough. It was poison which they deprived me of, and that is the reason I look like this,” she said.

“Poison?” you said. It was your turn to be confused — after all, how could a deprivation from poison hurt someone to the extent that Tullia had been damaged?

“It’s my cursed technique. I drink poison, and my body converts it to cursed energy,” she said. “I haven’t been able to have any since I was sold to the Tachibanas, which is why my body has deteriorated to such an extent.”

“Why didn’t you try to run away?” Kashimo said. “Why did you stay like a fool? I understand if you couldn’t break free later on, but why did you even let yourself be put in that position?”

“Do you think I wanted to be?” Tullia snapped. “Of course I didn’t! The mistress mixed something in with my dinner so that I slept through the ordeal. It couldn’t have been a poison, as my body would’ve converted that before it could impact me, but there was some plant or similar substance that she used so that I did not awaken until I was already locked away! Not everyone — not everyone is like you! Sometimes bad things just happen to people, and there’s nothing they can do but suffer through it all!”

“What did they even do to you?” Kashimo said, sufficiently cowed at the well-deserved outburst.

“At first, nothing. He tried to win me over, wanting me to do it of my own free will. I always refused, though. I insisted you and Daisuke would come for me. I insisted he would regret it once that happened. But you never did. Eventually, he told me that word had come from the orphanage that both you and Daisuke were dead. I didn’t want to believe it — it didn’t make sense, but at the same time, what other explanation was there for why you hadn’t come to save me?

“After that, I gave up and let him do as he pleased, no matter the pain it caused me. There was nothing left for me, after all, no reason to keep struggling when there was no chance anyone would rescue me or even knew I was there at all. There were a few times I came to be with child, but after the first one was born dead, he made me abort the rest,” she said. “It was the most excruciating thing. Time and time again, my body was ripped apart for nothing but a corpse to come out.”

She hugged her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself protectively, though of course neither Kashimo nor you had any plans to hurt her.

“I will kill him,” Kashimo said matter-of-factly. “For doing that, I will kill him.”

“Wait,” you said, grabbing onto his sleeve before he could run off. He gave you an irritated look, but you shook your head. “Tullia, is that what you want? For Kashimo to kill him?”

“No,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Kashimo said. This anger was his way of showing his desperation, his helplessness at the situation, but it was not his situation in the first place. He did not have the same claim to it that Tullia did.

“It’s Tullia’s choice,” you said. “She’s the one who it happened to. She’s the one who gets to decide what happens next.”

“I want him to die, that’s for sure,” Tullia said. “But not at your hand, Hajime. It has to be me. Once I’ve regained enough strength, I will be the one to kill him myself.”

While Tullia was in the bath, cleaning herself off properly for the first time in so long, you and Kashimo sat in your room and debated what to do next.

“She’s definitely Daisuke’s girl, no doubt about it,” he said. “But who knows how long recovering will take? Can you afford to wait? The Beasts have been appearing so rapidly that even a few days’ delay might mean a lot.”

“It’s fine,” you said. “We just need to get some poison and she’ll be much better. I don’t mind waiting. It’s the only form of justice she’ll ever get for what happened to her, and I can’t deny her that. Not after how much she’s had to endure.”

Kashimo buried his face in his hands. “What a mess. I can’t believe we never tried to inquire further. We should’ve tortured it out of the mistress…why did we not? Why did we just believe her at her word?”

“You can’t go back and change it,” you said. “So you just have to focus on making amends. She’s frightened, you know, so you and Daisuke have to do everything in your power to soothe her. You must endeavor to make up for how long she was alone.”

“This isn’t my area of expertise,” he said. “I don’t know how to deal with people’s emotions and other such sentimental affairs. The only thing I could do for her would be killing Akihiro Tachibana, but she doesn’t want that.”

“Even just your presence is enough, I think. But you must be delicate in handling her. Not like how you are with me. I can take your brashness and your haughty attitude, but she can’t. So if you must yell at someone, yell at me. If you must be angry with someone, be angry at me. But do leave her alone in that regard,” you said. “Only say kind things to her, and if you cannot manage that, then don’t say anything at all.”

“Maybe silence is a bit more realistic,” he said.

“Silence is fine,” you said. “You’re not the one she really wants right now, anyways.”

“Right, that’s Daisuke. I’m just a substitute until we reach him,” he said, taking your hands and scowling down at the shallow scrapes. “By the way, how did this happen?”

“I had to grab onto a tree while escaping with Tullia,” you said. “It’s not a big deal, so I don’t see the point in activating my technique to heal them. Why?”

“I will cut that tree down,” he said, lifting one of your palms to his cheek. You used your thumb to trace the regal bone that sat there, and he closed his eyes, relaxing into the caress, which must’ve been rare for him, the one who pushed everyone away and had never known a gentle touch in his life.

“You can,” you said. “If it pleases you, you can cut down every tree in the world.”

“I don’t have to cut down every tree,” he said. “Just the ones that hurt you.”

“Then you can do that, too,” you said.

“I will do it,” he promised. “I definitely will.”

“Thank you,” you said. He was quiet for a bit, just sitting there and holding your hand to his face, like you would drop it if he were not there and he could not bear to feel you let go.

“I could not protect that girl, the one who Daisuke loved,” he said slowly, carefully, enunciating every word. “I hate that I could not, but you’re right in saying I can’t change that. But — but I can promise this: it won’t be the same for you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Because you want to kill me?” you said.

“Yes,” he said, answering with a firm, resounding swiftness. “Because of that. Because the person to kill you can not be Ten, nor Hisashi Gojo, nor anyone else. I will cut down every tree and every man in the world if it means that it can be like that — if it means that the one to kill you can be me and me alone.”

[carissimipaixao]

Hiii! Could I request a jigen x reader in which they start arguing and he said something really hurtful so she starts to cry and just leave? If possible with a happy ending 🥺 thanks 💕

─ PITIFUL HARSHNESS

published on: may 26, 2023 requested by: anon pairing: jigen daisuke & reader word count: 4k+

It’s raining outside. The drops hit the windshield softly, only to be brushed away. This process continues endlessly, and the sound of the rain mixes with the traffic as the vehicle drives by other cars. It is a kind of silence that, in other circumstances, you would’ve embraced tenderly. But, not today.

The driver spares a glance through the rearview mirror, but focuses on the road once again. His hold on the wheel is light, but you can see his fists clench occasionally, as if anticipating something to happen. You meet his gaze eventually, and you aren’t sure of what he sees in your face but you’d be willing to bet it was anything but pleasant. He flinches and looks back at the road, his back now straight.

From the corner of your eye, you can see a foot tapping angrily, as it rests on top of the other knee. You purposefully avoid turning to see to whom it belongs, although you know exactly who the person is. Just like the driver, you are trying to avoid confrontation.

It’s the last thing you need, right now.

But, as your heart races and as you begin to tap your index finger against your arm, both crossed over each other, your frown deepens. After all, he doesn’t have the right to be upset — at least, not as upset as he is. And, in your defense, what you had done — or nearly did — was clearly justified. You knew the driver would have agreed with you, although he would surely pull the other’s leg in the process as well.

You’re still relatively new to this whole “criminal” business. You still don’t know how to think that quickly on your feet, not to mention how to pull off traps as if it was nothing.

You’re drifting in your thoughts, when the car rounds a corner, driving through an older street, still made out of cobblestone. The car is slower this time, to avoid further damages, and after three beats, it stops. The driver turns off the engine, after staring through the mirror once again, and exits the car.

The man next to you, in the backseat, exits just as quickly, and you huff a sigh before following both men’s examples.

‘Well, here we are,’ Lupin grins as he shuts the door. ‘Nothing like home sweet home, huh?’ He looks between you two, searching for some sort of smile or even a scoff at his playful nature. But, there is none. Instead, Jigen continues on his way upstairs, without sparing you a look over his shoulder.

Lupin’s smile twitches. ‘Well, I’ll just… go ahead and take our bags.’ As he rounds you to unlock the trunk, your eyes don’t waver off the stairs, or where the gunman once stood. You stare for a moment or two, ignoring how Lupin’s gaze every now and then burns on your back. You don’t need to hear him speak to know exactly what he’s thinking.

The last thing he needs right now is for his partners to fight and further damage the alliance between the three of them—

I was never part of the gang. I’m just a temporary asset, you correct your own thoughts. It’s always been the two of them, and that’s it.

Still, you take a deep breath and begin to march up those stairs, the wood creaking beneath your feet. The door of the hideout is still unlocked, and you push it open as you look around the living room. As you suspected, the gunman sits on the couch, his hand already pulling away from within his jacket, a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Unlike how you usually see him, he sits with his elbows on top of his knees, lighting the cigarette as the shade of the fedora conceals his face.

Yet, you can practically feel the dark scowl that has glued itself on his face. The negativity and hostility radiates off him like heat radiates from a pleasant and cozy fireplace.

The way you approach the couch is nothing but cautious. Slow steps as if you are approaching an unstable prey, trying not to scare it off. Or, rather, in this case, you are the one who’s scared of invoking the ire of an unpredictable beast. In truth, you have never seen Jigen angry.

You have — towards Lupin and his tendencies, as well as his history and relationship with Mine Fujiko. But, you have never been the target or source of his anger.

He tilts his head, ever so slightly, and you can’t help but think that the sudden tightness around his cigarette is not something your head has just imagined. You think — and you feel -- it is intentional, a reflex. His lips curl downwards even further, and your eyebrows twitch, threatening to show off your own rage. But, unlike him, you are trying to keep it cool.

‘Can I help you?’ The question is anything but selfless and genuine. The growl around the words doesn’t go unnoticed and you straighten your back.

‘Look, I know you’re…,’ you draw out and pause to take a deep breath. ‘Upset.’ He scoffs, reaching over the coffee table to tap his cigarette against the ashtray. The motion is anything but gentle and graceful. He is trying to keep it cool, too, you realize, but his temperament has always been too short.

‘You don’t say,’ is his sarcastic reply.

‘But,’ you raise your voice slightly, ���I was only trying to do the right thing. You need to understand that.’

He leans over, elbows on his knees. ‘“The right thing”, you say? That didn’t look like the right thing.’

You nearly flinch, and the memory plays back so effortlessly in your mind.

There was a man in front of you. Hands stretched out in your direction and a wicked smirk on his face. You remember the sound of engines and fans, covering the urgent grunts and yells. And, you remember the way your blood rushed through your veins, how your eyes swam between the man’s foot and a hand that gripped tightly onto the edge of the building.

Whatever words left the man’s mouth, they were nearly ignored. Or rather, in the distressed state that you were, you couldn’t hear them. Your attention was only on that hand, the memory of a bullet wound and blood, and what you could possibly do to save him.

That was your only concern.

That was your sole motive.

There were documents in your hand — maps, reports, historical pieces. They were clues that were to lead you and the group to your goal, an incredibly rich treasure. How did the man know you were the one holding onto those papers? You didn’t know. And, why did Lupin think you were worthy of carrying them in your possession? You didn’t know.

It was those documents or Jigen’s life.

For you, the answer was clear to see.

It was as if you had disassociated from your own body, as you gave the man the papers and as he walked away without looking back. This was too easy, you thought and you rushed forward to help your partner up, only for him to dismiss it — dismiss you.

‘What did you expect me to do?’ The question blurts out of your lips before you can stop it, as well as the venom embedded in those words. ‘Did you want me to leave you there to die? Choose a treasure over your life?’

He takes a deep inhale of the cigarette and, from the silence, you begin to think that he understands where you’re coming from. Your arms begin to fall back to your sides, after your outburst, and that is when he slams the head of the cigarette against the ashtray, putting it out in an instance. He scoffs, ‘The fact that you were willing to give everything away—’

‘As if I had a choice!’ You interrupt, and you’re feeling angrier by the second. For a moment, you had believed he would be on your side; instead, he dismisses your reasoning and, instead, he focuses on whatever is rushing through his brain.

In a way, you’d agree with him. You did give away everything to your enemy. But, Lupin didn’t react as badly as you. In fact, he was just as concerned as you were for the gunman, who refused assistance with the wound on his shoulder — too close to his heart.

You know how he is about trust and betrayal — you have seen it, and you have heard it.

But, this is wrong. This is beyond his distrustful nature, and more about being selfish and paranoid when he shouldn’t be. Why can’t he understand?

You continue, ‘I was just trying to save you! Why can’t you see that?’

‘I didn’t need your help,’ he says. It sounds like nothing but pure denial. You wouldn’t expect this kind of comment, this kind of arrogance, from him. Perhaps, from the cat burglar herself. But, him? ‘I didn’t need it then, and I don’t need it now. For all I know, you’re a selfish woman who’s been siding with the enemy this whole time.’

You roll your eyes with a scoff. ‘Oh, I’m selfish?’ You ignore the other comment, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s his trust issues speaking, you try to reason. But, to accuse you of siding with the enemy, simply because you gave those documents up in exchange for his life? Lupin, of all people, has always been a step ahead of everyone; if you were really a traitor, wouldn’t he have already done something about it? ‘You really want to talk about that? You, of all people?’

If he wants your thoughts on this situation, if he wants to know how you really feel, then you’ll give them to you. You’ll give him the same amount of venom that keeps spilling out of his mouth.

‘You don’t know me,’ he raises from his seat. His tone has grown colder. ‘Stop acting like you do.’

‘Maybe I don’t. Maybe, I really don’t know you.’ He begins to walk away, and you scoff, throwing your arms up and looking over your shoulder as if expecting to find some unknown observer, who watches the scene play out. ‘Oh, and now he’s turning his back on me. Wonderful. Real mature.’

He stops suddenly in his tracks. ‘I’d rather rot in hell than spend another minute listening to your poor excuses.’ Jigen whips his head in your direction. For a moment, you catch a glimpse of his eyes — narrowed, dangerous. ‘You want to know why you’re still here? Because Lupin sees something in you. But, you’re not as special as you believe yourself to be, darling.’

It’s as if your heart dropped into your stomach; you take a deep breath upon hearing his words, as if that was your last gasp for air, the only pillar that would keep you from falling apart. You hadn’t worked so hard on yourself — to become an unstoppable and emotionally distant force — just to have one man tear you apart.

So, you decide to walk away. It’s not as if there is anything else for you to do. Your job is done.

‘And just where do you think you’re going?’ Jigen says as you grab your coat, left by the entrance. You adjust it rather roughly, unable to conceal the anger. And, for a moment, it crosses your mind to tell him to mind his own business, to let him know that you wouldn’t sit around and let a man destroy the character you’ve built up for years. And, you want to slap him, most of all.

How dare he? It keeps echoing.

Instead, you keep your mouth shut and you march right out of that living room, nearly bumping into Lupin on the way out, who jumps a couple of steps backwards, eyes wide. You can’t possibly care less to know whether or not he had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Whatever partnership there is — it’s over. You’d let him know when your head is cooler.

The rain is freezing cold, but you ignore it, even if your hair has started to become wet. Even if your clothes were to stick uncomfortably to your body, you wouldn’t stop. Maybe, this is running away, but you have your reasons and there is nobody that can tell you whether or not they are reasonable or valid.

Isn’t a partnership meant to honor your deal? To work together as a team for better or worse, until everyone got what they wanted? Whatever happened to honor among thieves? Surely, of all people, he would—

‘Fuck this,’ you murmur under your breath, shutting off your train of thoughts. You stick your hands inside the pockets of your coat as you walk down the cobblestone path. Nobody is outside at this godforsaken hour, under this terrible weather, and, for a moment, you are thankful. You cannot bear seeing anyone in front of you, because you want to be alone. For a moment, you want the entire world to disappear, even if it means you are its sole habitant.

As you approach the bridge, however, in your right pocket, you feel something.

You pause in your tracks to pull whatever it is out, and you stare blankly at the communicator inside your hand, even though your heart rages inside your chest. Then, you bite your lower lip, raise your arm and, with a snarl, throw the communicator against the floor, watching the device break into tiny pieces. You wouldn’t need that anymore. You dig your foot into the biggest piece, hearing it crack under your weight. ‘Fuck this,’ you repeat, before continuing on your way.

There are stairs on the side of the bridge, which let you go to the wharf. You decide to go down those stairs, seeking solitude. The platform is long enough to reach the parallel end of the bridge, to your left, hence the middle is completely dry, protected by the bridge. You get under the bridge, huffing as the rain finally stops hitting your body, even if the cold remains and you are unable to get rid of it without a newer, warmer coat.

You sit on the ground, leaning your back against the stonewall of the bridge, and you close your eyes. In this silence and darkness, you pull your knees to chest to cage the little warmth you have left and begin to ponder about your next move. Indeed, you will have to tell Lupin that you will no longer work with them. If they don’t want traitors — as Jigen has called you — then you would leave.

I have betrayed no one, you tell yourself. No one, but myself.

From the very start, you had been unsure about this partnership. Not that you and Jigen clashed often, not that you had any issues with Lupin or any other member of the gang, but you knew, deep down, that something would go wrong. Either by the enemy’s hand, the Cat Burglar’s hand, or…

You don’t remember anymore why you were so hesitant, but what has happened has confirmed your suspicions. The treasure has been lost — lost to an enemy to whom you have willingly handed the papers with the location and further details about the treasure. This month, there would be no paycheck.

‘I probably deserve this,’ you whisper into the shadows. ‘I mean, I did ruin the heist.’ You drop your head into your hands, groaning. ‘And we were so close…!’

You don’t know for how long you stay there. The scene just keeps repeating over and over in your head — when was the last time you were so emotional over a heist, over someone? — and you cannot make it go away.

‘So, tell me, little bird,’ the man in front of you purrs, gun pointed straight at the head of your newest partner. Jigen grunts when his foot steps onto his hand, desperately trying to hold onto the platform. The engines of the airplane seem to get louder and louder, as you remember where one of them is.

Right under Jigen.

You clench the papers in your hand tightly.

His smile widens. ‘This can go one of two ways.’ He tilts his head. ‘You can give those papers to me, those papers that contain the information about my treasure, and we can all wrap this up and head home. I’m sure you’d like that, hm?’

The enemy steps harder onto Jigen’s hand, suddenly, and you hear the gunman yell out, another hand reaching for the platform. ‘Or, you can say goodbye to your beloved partner.’ He glances over his shoulder at the fan below. ‘It would be quite thrilling to watch someone being torn into tiny pieces by such a powerful engine. Perhaps, a rain of blood would ensue?’ He shrugs, teeth now showing. ‘I wouldn’t mind the show, in case you’re wondering. It would just be one less pest to deal with.’

‘Don’t listen to him!’ Jigen shouts over him, and the man pauses, the smile falling from his face, as he slowly turns to listen to him.

‘Hm,’ there is a scoff. ‘This little man thinks he has a choice. No, no… because it all depends on you.’ His eyes are on you, now, and you shiver. ‘You decide how this goes. Either you hand me the papers, or it’s all over for him.’

Just like that, you decided. You made a choice, and, although a part of you is insanely relieved to know that Jigen has escaped a quite eventful death, you now deal with the aftermath of the heist. A storm of conflict looms over your head and over your heart.

Something is approaching you.

The sound of footsteps grows louder and louder, and you quickly raise your head, remaining otherwise still. Your left hand reaches for your gun, out of reflex. Trust no one. It’s when he rounds the corner that you freeze and your mouth dries up.

Jigen looks down at your sitting form, lips turned downwards in that infamous frown of his. He doesn’t say anything in the beginning, and the two of you just stare at each other. He adjusts his hat, head turning towards the river. ‘...Can I sit?’

You narrow your eyes at him, unable to mask your confusion and — if you’re being honest — uneasiness.

‘Sure,’ you say. ‘It’s not like I own this place.’

The man is silent; at least, he doesn’t acknowledge your bitter tone. Then, he slowly walks up to you and sits. His shoulder doesn’t touch yours, but you shiver as if it did. He isn’t too close, but it feels as if he is. You don’t know what’s coming, and you’re afraid to ask.

Is he here to off me?

Jigen’s eyes remain firm upon the water as it flows towards the ocean. Yours, however, don’t stray away from his profile. Well, it might be hard to see in the dark, but you cannot help but stare. You don’t think you’ve been this close to him, and you admit — shamelessly so — that he is far too handsome to be true. In your opinion, of course.

‘Listen,’ his voice cuts through the air, and you flinch, feeling your face going ablaze. A quick look towards his eyes tells you he hasn’t seen you looking like a goddamn teenager, but that doesn’t make you feel embarrassed. What the hell?! ‘I… I’m sorry about what happened.’

You straighten your back against the wall. ‘About what? If you’re apologizing for what happened in the airplane—’

Jigen grumbles. ‘Well, I guess I’m sorry about that, too.’ He immediately sounds offended, as if you’d attacked him personally. He has his pride as a professional, I suppose, you think. ‘I’m referring to what happened back at the safehouse. I lost my temper.’

You sigh. ‘Well, I fucked everything up, no? I gave everything away…’ You echo his previous words, only to hesitate and then add, ‘...for you. For your life.’

‘I’m thankful for it,’ the gunman says. ‘I was too proud to admit it then, but I’ll admit it now. I can see now that you had good intentions.’ He pauses, before rubbing the back of his head. You suddenly wonder if Lupin had to talk some sense into him, before coming to search for you.

‘Good intentions that ruined the heist.’

Jigen faces you, and you hold your breath. ‘You were led by your emotions. I could see that. He could see that, and he used that weakness to his advantage.’ The way he says weakness nearly destroys you. Suddenly, he is pinning you down again with his harsh words, his honesty. You look away, unable to bear it once more. Jigen stops himself, and he sighs heavily. ‘I’m too old for this—listen, I’m glad you tried to save me.’

‘You’re welcome,’ you murmur. ‘Doesn’t change the fact that you are angry at me. Doesn’t change the fact that Lupin has lost everything he has been working towards.’

The sound of rustling catches your ear, and you glance up as Jigen adjusts his position, reaching inside his jacket. That is when you see what he holds in his hand. You blink, as he extends the papers towards you. ‘Lupin showed these to me, the moment you left.’

You hesitate to grab them at first, but, when you do and when you begin to skim through those pages, you open your mouth in surprise. ‘These are—’

‘Isabella Bird’s real entries.’

You shake your head, ‘How did you… what about what I found?’

Jigen begins to crack up a mischievous smile, ‘Turns out, when you and Lupin split to find the papers, due to the double security measures, as he inspected the papers, he realized that Bird had written two versions. One of them would lead to the treasure, the other would lead to a… realer treasure.’

‘Two versions?’ The weight on your shoulders starts to feel as if it is dissolving, disappearing. ‘But, what do you mean by a “realer treasure”?’

Those dark eyes shimmer in a split second. ‘Kin.’ Jigen nudges the papers in your hands, ‘The papers you had are going to lead that idiot in circles around Bird’s hometown, her old house and even people that she has loved. That is where her real treasure is. In the hands of her people and lovers.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ you say, a breathless chuckle leaving your lips. ‘All that…’ Anger. Hatred. Despair. ‘...confusion, only for those documents to be a fake lead?’ You shake your head. ‘And, here I thought that you were going to kill me for my failure.’

Jigen immediately straightens his body, his hands now distant, and a startled expression in his face. ‘What?’

‘Out of your own volition,’ you continue, ‘or perhaps by Lupin’s order. I guess request is a more appropriate word.’ Since the two of you see each other as nothing but partners.

‘That’s ridiculous,’ Jigen shakes his head, hand on his hat. ‘I wouldn’t kill you for some papers. Besides, Lupin always finds a way to spin the game back to his own hands. Sooner or later, we’d have the treasure regardless of that incident, and we’d have that fool right where we wanted him.’

‘If you say so,’ you hand the papers back to him into his chest. You can’t bear to carry them; not when you still feel the fake ones in your hand, not when you still have a phantom feeling where your hand has brushed against the enemy’s.

‘What’s in the past stays in the past,’ the gunman says, and Jigen stands, fixing his jacket. ‘What do you say we put this behind us? Head back to the safehouse and get out of this freezing rain?’

Your eyes turn back to him, and he stretches his hand, as he leans down slightly. You can spot a little quirk in his lips — something awkward, an attempt at being comforting. If today has taught you anything, it is that weaknesses need to be thoroughly eliminated or transformed into newer strengths. You don’t want to repeat what has happened today. Not anymore.

‘Fine,’ you finally answer, hand reaching for his. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

[cherry-pop-elf]

Kiss It Better

Curly (mouthwashing) x reader

AN: No one asked for this but CURLY DESERVED BETTER-!

Sum: You were taking care of Curly, your partner, when you just had to ask him a question that was burning you as much alive as the cockpit burned him. Did he actually crash the ship?

Warnings: 18+, gore, medical situations, Jimmy, violence, just mouthwashing in general, ablism, lots of medical stuff (from someone that knows way to much about medical shit because of being in and out of the hospital all her life)

“Morning honey.” You would force yourself to smile. You had to. You had to for him. To give him hope like he always gave you. To be a little bit of real sunshine through the day. Just wanted to take care of him. Give Anya some kind of break.

A wheeze was your greeting.

Wasn’t like it was his fault. He couldn’t really speak right now. You wondered if he would ever speak again. You would miss his voice but it’s worth it for him to live. He will live, you knew he would. You would make sure of it.

“Let’s have a look at you.” You would grab the clipboard that Anya left for you and took a look over. The small little list to help you understand how to care for his issues. When to wash him, what time his medications were, whatever routine was needed for that day. Was your Bible so to speak. You followed it to the last ink splotch.

“Your bandages don’t look to need to be changed yet, your IV bag needs to be changed, I’ll check your catheter, and yada yada yada. Wanna try and swallow today? Maybe if you can swallow some water I can grind up the pain pills into powder for you. Wanna try?”

He gave two distinct blinks for yes.

“Wonderful. Let me do this routine, so you can mentally prepare.” You would explain, as you went to slip on the latex gloves. Didn’t want to risk transferring some kind of infection. He’s already fighting for his life as it is. No need to make it harder.

You would first change out his IV bag, since he needed to stay as hydrated and fed nutrients as possible, before working on the awkward catheter. Luckily Anya made it very easy to use. She had opted for a condom catheter since she didn’t want to put himself at anymore risk to infections, and pain, as possible. Seemed the trauma made it rather impossible to control his bowls anyway so it worked out. All you had to do was drain the bag, wash it, and reattach it to the side of the table. Wasn’t like he was going to be moving around much anyway.

“So Daisuke was showing me his gameboy. Teaching me about how the lore works and all that. I really had no idea what he was talking about, but it’s better than Swansea snoring.” You laughed, and did your best to keep yourself peppy. To help Curly feel somewhat involved with society. To not just be trapped in the med bay alone. Daisuke and Swansea would visit, and Anya did what she could medically, but sometimes you just need someone to talk to.

“Think it’s a rouge like game. That’s nice. Helps keep you entertained with wanting to break through more and more dungeons in one session.” You rambled, before reattaching the bag. Had you sigh in relief to see you didn’t mess up the chord. Some urine had already started to fill the bag. Must have been triggered by the new IV. Good good. Everything was correct.

“You ready?” You asked, as this was always the hardest part. Getting medication in him. Anya would do her best but you couldn’t blame her for struggling. It’s such a mental tax to try and take care of someone but it results in more pain. You were willing to take that burden. You were his partner after all. You felt it’s only fair you take care of him. Gave Anya some breathing room to actually care for herself. She deserved to take care of herself to.

With two clear blinks you would get to work.

You would slip your hand under his back, and forced him to sit up. He groaned in pain, and tried his best to keep his head upright, as you two tried to work together. To survive this. To try and fight through.

“You are doing so well.” You reassured, as your brought the water bottle up to his open mouth. He was able to let his head hang back, and did what he could to open his throat. Was awkward, but he managed to do it. He took a proper swallow of water. You could hardly hide your excitement.

“You did it! Oh my god you did it!” You couldn’t help but kiss his cheek. It hurt, of course, but he very much felt it was worth it. He had his own pride in being able to do some kind of basic human function again.

You would lay him back down, and was quick to grind up medication to put in the water bottle. You couldn’t wait to tell Anya his progress. You were positive the rest of the crew would be happy to hear the progress.

Well…..Most of the crew.

You used your anger towards Jimmy to help you grind the pain killers into powder. Oh how you hated him. You knew deep down he was responsible for the crash. You knew he was. You weren’t sure why he would be, but you just knew that Curly would never. If he had to, for whatever reason, he would have come on to the intercom to inform everyone to prepare for a crash. He would have done something. Anything.

What purpose would there be in crashing the ship?

Jimmy was his copilot. He would be the only other person to have access to the cockpit. He had to have been involved somehow. There had to have been something going on. You just knew it.

You just wish you had proof.

You sighed, as you would shake up the powder in the bottle. Made sure it was fully dissolved to avoid any issues with it going down his throat.

You just couldn’t understand.

Why would Jimmy crash the ship?

You would return back to curly, and do the same routine again. Slow, and small, drips into his throat. Would take a while, and would make your arm beg for death, but this would make life easier for Curly. That’s all that mattered. A arm cramp is worth it to help Curly survive.

“Curly…..Since you are more lucid now I….I just gotta ask something.”

The way his eye darted towards you said he knew what you were going to ask. Knew that it’ll be asked. He knew, and he couldn’t help but try and look towards the door. As if afraid someone would walk in.

That had you very concerned.

“…..Jimmy crashed the ship, didn’t he?” You whispered. Tried to be as hush as possible, in case someone did overhear. Was just the slow drips of the water into his dry mouth, and you.

One blink.

Two blinks.

“I fucking knew it.” You gritted your teeth, as you felt stupid to ever even have the slightest doubt that any possible reality there would be that Curly would do such a thing.

“I wish I could ask you why. Do…Do you know why?” You had to ask. You just needed to know. Know if Jimmy was as dangerous as you thought.

One blink.

T-

“How’s the captain doing?”

You would turn your head sharply, and saw Jimmy. Just standing there. God you were terrified how long he had been there. Did he hear what you asked? Didn’t seem so. Jimmy was a very aggressive person. He snapped at the slightest tone shift. If he heard you ask a question like that you wouldn’t be talking now.

“He’s….Alive.” You were caught rather off guard. You didn’t know what to say. You were scared of him. You had to be brave, though. You had a better chance at defending yourself. Curly couldn’t.

You would hear his heavy foot steps come closer, and out right feel his body heat against yours. Just looking over your shoulder. Was like this burning shadow over you. Made you feel like you’ll be squashed like a bug.

“Has he been able to talk yet?”

That’s a weird question to ask. Why not ask how he’s feeling, what progress he’s made, how his vitals are. Why is him talking on the front of his mind?

Because Curly knew something he shouldn’t.

“No. I think he’s lost his voice for good. I don’t think he’s ever going to speak again.” You lied, as you finished the test of the bottle. Returned your partner back on the table, and spun around. Nose to chest to the man. Had you terrified, but you must be brave. For Curly.

“Damn. Rough for him. No more barking orders, huh?” Jimmy tried to joke, but you could only give an awkward laugh at. Mostly to keep from pissing him off.

If he’s willing to crash a ship what else is he willing to do?

“Did you need something?” You managed to force out, as you grabbed the clipboard. Just trying to find an excuse to not look directly at Jimmy. To have a motive as to why you would stay in the med bay longer than most. Just anything to get Jimmy to leave you two alone.

“Hey, I give a shit to about him. Is it criminal to care about my friend?” He snapped at you, and it made you grab your clipboard tighter. You swore he seemed to smirk at seeing you so startled. Like he got off to the idea that he got the captains sweetheart scared.

That he’s the new boss.

“Never said that. You are the co pilot and new captain. You-“ “Pilot now. As if he’s ever going to steer a ship again. Not even a wheelchair with those stumps.” He snorted, as you wanted to smack him across the face.

“Yes….As the new Pilot and Captain I would figure you would be swamped in work. Like finding a way for us to contact help. Kinda the biggest priority after Curly. Anya and I are busy with him. You, Daisuke, and Swansea can handle the rest.”

You noticed how he seemed to roll his eyes about Anya. As if he couldn’t care less about the woman. Made you curious on what kind of beef he would have with her. She’s Anya! Who hated her?

“Yeah. Guess you are right there.” He muttered, as if it was never on his mind. Never an option that they could escape. Oh how you were getting chills.

“Keep on trucken then. Take care of our Captain Cripple. His ass needs all the help his stumpy limbs can get.” He would give him a once over, before looking at you. You made sure to keep your eyes to the clipboard instead. All you did was nod in acknowledgment, before he left.

“What are we going to do, Curly?” You sighed, as you would just lay next to him in defeat. What can you do? You had no idea. Curly was always such a good captain. Made you regret never paying more attention to how he worked the cock pit. Maybe if you did you could be more useful.

As you were full of worry and regret, Curly would weakly try and turn his head. Naked teeth were against his cheek. A attempt to kiss your cheek the best he could.

You smiled at the gesture, and made sure to be careful with snuggling your face into his shoulder.

“I’ve got you, and you got me. We can do this. I know it.” You reassured you both, as you closed your eyes. There to wait until his pain medication kicked in, so he could sleep.

As you relaxed, you couldn’t help but swear something was strange about his breathing.

It was like….He was saying words.

You would focus as hard as you could on your ears, as he would drift in and out of his buzzed state. Fighting to stay awake, but sleep coming for him.

“A….a…n…ya…..Kn….ows……”

Part 2

[hxney-lemcn]

Late Night Chaos — Daisuke x gn! reader

summery: after comforting Daisuke a bit, you help Anya with Curly's medication. she tells you about the abuse she's faced on the ship, and you find yourself confronting her abuser.

tw: implications of rape, implications of abuse, graphic depictions of violence, death, murder, pure angst, dead dove: do not eat.

a/n: would you believe me if I said this series was just meant to be a fluffy one/two shot?

wc: 1.5k

Master List

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine

You could only watch on in disappointment. Daisuke laid on the grated ground, arm thrown over  his face and mouthwash in the other. Walking over, you crouched next to his form, feeling sympathy for his situation. It’s been two months since the cargo hold was opened, and you were honestly proud at how resilient Daisuke had been against his mentor’s persistent badgering to get him to join him for a drink. 

With a short sigh, you softly muttered, “You look like shit.”

“You were right,” Daisuke groaned. “How does Swansea do it? I feel like my stomach is going to explode.”

“An alcoholic doesn’t drink to feel good,” You murmured, gently brushing some of his hair out of his face. “They do it to escape from their problems, but it just adds more to the pile.”

“How’re you so smart?” Daisuke grumbled, uncovering his eyes and tilting his head to try and look at you. “Aren’t we around the same age?”

Chuckling softly you shook your head in amusement, “Yeah, we are around the same age. I just have more experience in this area.”

“You were an alcoholic?” Daisuke exclaimed, sitting up quickly only to clutch his stomach with a groan. 

You snorted at his reaction, “No, but I have first hand experience with what it does to a person.”

“Oh,” Daisuke laid back down, trying to even his breathing to quell the nausea. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” You sighed, fully taking a seat next to him and sitting cross legged.

“But you were so adamant on me not drinking this stuff, and I did it anyway,” Tears pricked at his eyes, clearly a bit tipsy. “Is that why you flinch when someone gets angry?” 

Your eyes widened at his question, gaze averting from his figure, you ignored it, changing the topic, “I understand why you did it, it’s hard to say no to an authority figure, and you were probably curious too. It happens, as long as you don’t make it a habit it’s fine.”

“I’m never looking at mouthwash ever again,” Daisuke grumbled. 

…

You nearly messed up your task, flinching back at Curly’s muffled groans of pain. It had been four months since the crash all together, and this was your first time administering the Captain his pain meds. You didn’t realize how terrible it was, and you couldn’t imagine the pain he was feeling. But you stayed strong, holding his jaw closed so he wouldn’t spit the pills back up. Once you heard him swallow, you pulled your hands back, feeling guilty as he stared at you. No wonder Anya had resorted to asking either you or Jimmy to administer them instead, you weren’t sure how she had managed to do this for so long without breaking-

It’s like you willed it to fruition, the sound of sniffles coming from behind you. Turning around, you watched in abject horror as Anya slid down to the ground, curling in a ball, arms around her legs and head tucked in her knees. The image felt wrong. This was Anya, strong willed, enthusiastic, competitive, encouraging and kind…is this how Daisuke felt when watching Swansea turn into a shell of his former self?

“It’s all my fault,” Anya sobbed, a hand going up to clutch at her hair. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

You frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Taking a seat next to her you slowly raised a hand and rubbed her back, “What are you talking about?” She tensed under your touch, both hands now pulling at her hair, and she shook her head. 

“I’m sorry,” You murmured, pulling your hand back. “You don’t have to explain-”

“I’m pregnant,” Anya whispers, brown eyes peeking over her knees to look at you, eyes red and watery. “It’s Jimmy’s. I told Curly, but nothing happened, so then I told Jimmy and…and th-that was r-right before the crash…” You felt your stomach drop, eyes widening at the implication. 

“W-was it too much for Curly to handle?” Anya asked, voice wavering as tears continued to stream down her eyes. “Is that why he crashed the ship? If o-only there were locks on the doors…if only I kept it to myself…”

“Wait what?” You paused, voice turning icy cold. You took in a deep breath, trying to quench the unbridled anger that suddenly flooded through you, this wasn’t the time or place to be angry, Anya needed comfort. “Anya, none of this is your fault. You had every right to seek help from the captain. If anything, this is Jimmy’s fault, why the hell would he-” You cut yourself off before you could rant, closing your eyes and continuing in a softer tone. “The company failed you, failed us. None of this falls on your shoulders.”

Anya leaned over and rested her head on your shoulder, gaze rising to Curly who could only watch on in silence, allowing herself to find just a moment of respite. Once again, you reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm in a placating manner. This time she relaxed in your hold, tears falling on your shoulder. You couldn’t just ignore this, couldn’t ignore the fact that Jimmy had abused not just your mentor, but friend. Who the hell did he think he was, walking around pretending to be captain knowing he did horrendous actions? Probably justified it like the asshole he was. God, you weren’t gonna let him get away that fucking easily. If Curly didn’t have the balls to help, you sure as hell were.

…

“The hell’s your problem?” Jimmy sneered at you. “You’ve become a real fuckin’ bitch, being nothing but a thorn in my side. You get off on making everyone suffer?”

“Hahaha!” You laughed maniacally, replying with a mocking grin. “That’s real fucking funny coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Jimmy glared, that icy heat behind his eyes intensifying, but you couldn’t find it in you to cower anymore, feeling nothing but absolute fury in his presence. 

“I think you know,” You growled, face morphing into a scowl. “I should beat the shit out of you for what you did.”

Jimmy’s face darkened, but didn’t make any sign to fight against your claim. That made you angrier, he knew. He knew what he did was wrong, he just didn’t care. You felt like you were vibrating, the absolute fury rushing through your veins.

“I won’t tolerate insubordination,” He glowered. “I’m the captain whether you like it or not-”

CRACK

A rush of adrenaline flowed through you, heart pumping faster. Jimmy held his nose, pulling his hand away to find blood dripping down. Your hands were shaking, and without thinking, you threw another punch, landing right on his eye, causing him to curse out. 

“You absolute, utter piece of shit,” You swore, kicking him as hard as you could where it really hurts. You watched on in satisfaction as the middle aged man fell onto his knees, eyes squeezed shut in pain. “You know what, that’s actually insulting shit, at least shit has a use.” 

You were about to send one more kick to his side for good measure, really wanting him to feel just an ounce of the pain he put Anya through, but you were thrown off balance when he grabbed your leg mid lift. He pulled your leg towards him, causing you to wobble and fall backwards onto your back. You barely registered the pain, adrenaline diluting your senses. You barely had any time to think before Jimmy was straddling you, hands around your throat squeezing as hard as he could. 

Eyes widening, you felt yourself panic, body automatically trying to suck in a breath but failing. You tried to wiggle, to kick your legs and knock him off of you, but he was stronger, watching you struggle with an evil glint in his dark eyes. You began to claw at him instead, trying to pull his hands away, to try to claw at any weak spot you could find. Your lungs were burning, tears falling down your eyes at the dull pain in your throat. You tried to reach his eyes, maybe poke one out to get his grip to loosen, but your hands were shaking and it felt like you were holding up a ton of bricks. 

As you lay there, oxygen depleting from your system, you humorlessly realized you were going to die to this monster. You could barely make out Jimmy anymore, the world spinning too fast and turning dark at the same time, body going limp. Did this really have to be your last view before passing on? You felt guilty as well, you were leaving Anya and Daisuke behind, you wish you weren’t so selfish. Ashamed that you prioritized your anger and lashed out instead of going about the situation rationally. You just hoped they didn’t blame themselves, that by some miracle they could be saved.

And just like that, your consciousness vanishes, leaving behind your body that lays limp under the hands of an abuser.

[dukeswonderousmenagerie]

Daisuke Jigen

mors certa, hora incerta (death is certain, its hour is uncertain)

(Character Entry x Lupin III: Run n Gun Character Entry)  Master thief Arsène Lupin III's closest friend, right-hand man and skilled sharpshooter, Jigen can perform a 0.3-second quick-draw, providing pinpoint accuracy that borders on near superhuman abilities. The more pragmatic member of the group, he has a cynical streak a mile long and a temper to match if you provoke him enough.

Trivia

He is Bisexual with a heavy but privately kept leaning towards men.

Jigen is the tallest member of the group, but is also the oldest member of it as well, though not by much, being only a few months older then Lupin.

Because of his knack for professionalism, Jigen is often designated as the "big brother" of sorts for the group, and often serves as the voice of reason for much of his partner’s impulsive actions, especially Lupin’s. Despite this however, he is often willing to be laid back enough to go along with most of his partner's schemes. 

He and Lupin’s favorite pastime is playing chess or cards with one another.

Much like most of his background, Jigen’s racial origins are often a mystery to many who know him or have heard of him. Because of this, several rumor’s in regards to his past have popped up over the years since his days in the mafia, including some about his racial origins, with the most popular being he is of Japanese descent or at least partially. This however is false, and only Lupin knows his true background.

Jigen’s actual origins despite all the fancy rumors is actually extremely simple. Despite what many may think they know, Jigen is actually an Italian-American descendant who was born in the Bronx and had originally moved to Japan whilst on the lam. It was there he adopted a Japanese identity and name. In a surprising turn of events, this information happened to actually confirm one rumor in particular that his name “Daisuke Jigen” was not his original name at all and was instead a pseudonym instead, as the word "Jigen" is often the conventional Japanese word for "dimension", and not an actual name or a word that is commonly used for one. Despite this, no one knows what his actual name once was or if he still even uses it from time to time, and he doesn’t seem to be willing to spill that information freely. In fact he seems just as content to take it to the grave with him.

His honorific El Lobo was actually coined to him by a Spanish crime family syndicate sometime after officially joining the mob full time. Originally, it was mostly given for his unparalleled hyper-lethality which made him all too famous in the underground crime world as well as his habitual habit of “looming” around in the shadows. The title has since stuck.

Jigen defer’s to Lupin a lot. If someone approaches the two of them for... well, anything really, his response will normally be, “ask Lupin, he’s the boss.” This is often because he just doesn’t like dealing with people even though he probably already knows the response Lupin would make by heart.

While he can be rather dramatic and get it in his mindset that he's not meant to 'settle down' and enjoy life, Jigen, if given the chance, can be the most easy going as well as romantic POS in the vicinity if given the chance to do so.

He was often said to have been an “extremely” awkward kid growing up. While he was not in school for long in the Bronx, during the times he was he was noted for being too silent and too tall for his age and was often regarded as being socially inept. This didn’t change much when he transferred schools and went to Japan.

He actually really despises being a leader. With certain scenarios, Jigen has no problems with just taking temporary leadership over the gang or any other group for that matter if he ultimately has too. But all in all, he’s more of a follower than a leader who refuses to rule over something for a long period of time. Despite being a follower however, he’s not afraid to speak his mind when he feels situations are getting out of hand and will outrightly question certain decisions, not out of stark disobedience, but simply out of concern.

He is the only one out of everyone lupin knows, who knows the truth about The First, and has kept the secret of his whereabouts and identity a secret for Lupin’s sake, even from the others.

While he wasn’t much of a “big time reader” growing up, his favorite book set was actually the “Arsène Lupin” books by Maurice Leblanc. This eventually lead to him being a big Arséne the first fan during his youth. Imagine his surprise when he met the Firsts actual Grandson

While he does not shy from starting loud firefights in public places, he will actively try to ignore civilians or politely tell them to flee in order to minimize innocent casualties and focus more on the target(s).

Does not handle stress well at all. Often disregarding or pushing away his feelings, he has come to develop a plethora of unhealthy coping mechanisms over the years, mainly of the alcoholic variety. Out of all of them, his most normal and healthy is when he goes down to the shooting range/open field away from civilization for hours and where he can unload magazine after magazine until his hands are numb and his ears are ringing.

He knows how to play guitar and he’s surprisingly really good at it. So good in fact that it use to be said he could probably make a career out of it. . .sadly that fell flat.

He suffers from persistent back pain/sciatica due to the same train accident that blinded and scarred his partner. However similar to Lupin, he has learned to deal with the pain in his own ways, which, while not the most conventional, actually help him a great deal.

He has/had 2 extra siblings. He has a sister, as well as had a slightly older brother just a few years older then him who had been tragically killed sometime after Jigen officially started his “work”

He’s actually the one who introduced his sister to her first husband. He regrets having done that. Though he doesn’t regret the niece and nephew he got out of it.

He is a (barely) functioning alcoholic. But thankfully he tends to be a happy drunk when he’s in a good mood, but also a brooding sad drunk when he’s not.

Is actually a school drop out. He never went back to school when middle school ended (Lupin Zero) slowly fiddling out of the school system after the train accident and Lupin’s “death” until he just gave up and started working full time, much to the sad disappointment of Isei.

Goes by many nicknames. Few include Scarecrow, Chief (LIIIRNG), jiji, Mon étoile (Lupin), Wolfie, Tallboy, Stilts.

Jigen is Far-sighted, can still hit his targets with no problem, but if you hand him something to look at you know he's gotta hold it out a bit.

He’s not that much into makeup, but he does have a thing for black nail polish. He won’t wear it during a job though, so he has little opportunity to wear it.

He and his sister are the last of their family line. While they had a lot of family friends growing up, they didn’t have much family. This is also said to be the main cause of the rift between him and his sister due to the years of separation between the two of them, with their last interaction being the situation that happened between Jigen his sister and her ex-husband while their parents were still around. His sisters kids are considered a blessing, meaning that the idea of them having a normal family is still possible.

He has often regarded the years separated from Lupin and the first during his younger adult years as “the worst years of his life”. He regrets having left in the first place, knowing that his life would have been easier had he had just stayed with the old man, seeing as Isei had offered him a job if he wanted it when he got older and had asked him AGAIN shortly after Lupin’s “death” before Jigen had left.

Jigen and Lupin only call each other Daisuke or Arsène interchangeably when situations are dire, the pair have on a “first name” basis with each other shortly after they started working together, and if there’s ever a reason for them to use a name outside of that, it’s a clear indicator that something is terribly terribly wrong and they need to get the point across. As a result of this que, Jigen has become so intuned with things truly going sideways IF and only IF  Lupin uses his name “Daisuke”.  Even in the times of faking his death,  Lupin only ever called him “Jigen”, but the moment he calls him “Daisuke” is when Jigen knows shit is real and that Lupin isn’t kidding around about things cause he’s being formal. 

Jigen and Lupin share a matching blood-type while Goemon doesn’t. It has came in handy. Knowing how dangerous and how prone accidents are to happen during jobs, Jigen and Lupin share enough blood between one another that Goemon has taken to calling them “blood-bonded” which isn’t that far off the bat considering how close the two are actually and have been getting over the years. As a side note as Lupin is usually the one taking the brunt end of all the shit that goes on (either by his own fault or someone else’s) it's usually  Jigen who ends up on the giving end. 

Jigen is incredibly head shy- he doesn't like people touching his head/face unless it's absolutely necessary. But it's not just because of the hat, he just uses that as an excuse. It’s mainly because due to him being a gunman he’s extremely protective about his eye’s. Even the permanent loss of one eye can drastically screw with his depth perception and when your entire life is based around looking down the scope of a gun it’s no laughing matter. So far only lupin has been allowed to touch his head intimately or otherwise because he has the most trust in lupin. Because of this large bond of trust, forehead presses or face touching tend to be drastic indicators of how close the pair are to one another, since it seems only Lupin can get away with doing it. If it's not Lupin, expect Jigen to be tending to his own head-wounds by himself.

[whymustyouhurtmeinthisway]

Fuck it I’m bored

Top 5 favourite video games of all time

5. Monster Prom

Initially introduced to me by Twitch Streamer Shenpai, the Monster Prom series has become a favourite among me and my friends, and I’ve fallen in love with the characters and universe (with Zoe in particular probably being in my top 5 characters of all time, a list I might make another time). This series is the source of so many fun memories with my friends (with the first game being my favourite), and it’ll forever be in my heart. In terms of individual games however, Monster Prom doesn’t fully stack up to the others on this list (though it is really good and I recommend it), so in fifth place it goes

4. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland

I was very fortunate as a child that my very first Kirby game ended up being considered one of the best of the entire series. I adored this game as a kid, and it definitely affected me deeply on a psychological level, even to this day. Everything about this game’s artstyle, music, characters, bosses, and powerups still sticks in my brain, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving it. I think Dedede’s design in the remaster is a downgrade, but other than that this game as a whole is flawless.

3. Guilty Gear Strive

Those familiar with my blog know that the Guilty Gear series is one of my greatest passions, almost to a concerning degree. Though I’d already been acquainted with the series before this game, Strive was the one to get me fully into it, and I’ve heavily enjoyed playing it since the moment I bought it. The game’s artstyle and soundtrack is top notch (Daisuke Ishiwatari is a god amongst men), and Strive Leo is one of the most fun fighting game characters I’ve ever played. You may be wondering “why is it only at #3 then?” and the answer to that is similar to Monster Prom’s: I love the entire series more than I love any individual game, so I’m rating it lower on this game ranking than I would on a series ranking (on which it’d definitely be top 2). For now though, Strive holds a respectable spot at #3.

2. No Straight Roads

I love this game man. After hearing of it in passing occasionally online, I saw it was on sale on PS4 and decided to try it. From what I’d seen (basically just the game’s title and a few character designs) I expected a dialogue-heavy visual-novel-type game in which your dialogue choices change the path of the story (hence the name No Straight Roads) but I was dead wrong. What I got instead was an awesome rhythm-based bossfight beat-em-up in which an indie rock band named Bunk Bed Junction fights to overthrow NSR, the tyrannical music label that's taken over their city, featuring a fantastic artstyle, incredible OST, lovable characters, and loads of passion infused in every single aspect. Due to the indie nature of the dev team, some jank can be found in various areas, but I'll always be more than willing to excuse that in exchange for such a wonderful product overall. The game's fairly cheap and available everywhere, and I highly recommend that everyone reading this buys it and supports the dev team. ALSO TO THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW THERE'S A LIMITED TIME OFFICIAL SAYU PLUSH AVAILABLE ON MAKESHIP UNTIL THE 20TH GO BUY IT!!!

1. Final Fantasy X

I don't have an explanation for this one really, it just hit me a certain way. Please ignore the fact that I haven't actually beaten it yet, the Yunalesca fight is too hard and I gave up. Good game though.

[sentientpaperbag]

Hug your local police inspector as a form of distraction so your thief friends can get away with robbery