I…I don't even know, man. All I knew was that this pairing needed more love, in all its semi-rational glory, and at some point in time this plotbunny was formed.
It was supposed to be a oneshot. It isn't anymore.
Hoo boy…I REALLY have to stop getting new fic ideas.
It may end up as M later, but considering it's not there now, T it shall be. Until further notice. Or, um, smut.
Let the madness ensue!
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Plan G
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"I need you, Nagi."
Mukuro softens his expression as he says the words, cups the face of this girl—this stroke of luck, this opportunity—in one hand and smiles tenderly.
He's got her, no doubt about it. Girls stronger, more cynical, less broken than Nagi would crumble at those words, and it's clear to him now that no one has ever spoken them to her before.
Nagi's remaining eye widens in disbelief and she brings shaking fingers to trace along the back of Mukuro's hand, as though desperate to assure herself that it's real.
It isn't, of course, but he isn't going to confuse the poor girl with that technicality just now.
"I…" she whispers, her breathing unsteady, and Mukuro can feel what little remains of her life force slipping away.
Say yes. Just say yes. Don't you understand, you're dying—you need this and so do I, just say the goddamn WORD—
Nagi bursts into tears, drawing away from him and collapsing to the ground. Mukuro's smile freezes.
Shit.
"I-I can't," she sobs, shrinking inward on herself. "You—you have the wrong person. Y-you need someone strong, someone—someone useful, and I—"
"No," Mukuro says quickly, dropping to wrap his arms around her. It feels awkward and wrong and he knows his composure is starting to slip, but Nagi is his last chance. "Nagi, you're more gifted than you could possibly imagine, you just haven't had the opportunity to shine—"
Nagi laughs through her tears, hysterical and self-loathing. "I got hit by a truck, m-my mother is leaving me here to die, and I-I didn't even manage to save one silly little cat." She tries to smile at him, but he can see he's already lost her. "Th-thank you, Mukuro, thank you s-so much for thinking I'm useful, but I'm not. I'm…I'm nothing at all. I've always been nothing, a-and soon I'll be even more nothing than usual."
He's underestimated how much her parents have damaged her, underestimated it by far. It isn't as though he needs yet another reason to eradicate the human race, but the loathsome parents of this sad, pathetic, throwing-away-his-last-chance-for-freedom girl seem happy enough to provide.
If by some miracle he escapes this damned prison, he's hunting them down first.
Nagi wipes away her tears and gives him a wavering if genuine smile. "I'm not afraid to die," she says gently. She takes his hand and gives it a soft squeeze. "Thank you. I hope you find someone who can help you."
I DID, and you're telling me no!
Had the circumstances been different, Mukuro would have thrown caution to the wind at this point and just forced his way into the girl's mind, but the Vendicare's drugs aren't entirely ineffective, he's unused to stretching himself this far, and he hadn't been lying about her potential. Nagi has a gift—not as strong as his, perhaps, but strong enough to lock him out of her mind in the state he's in.
The stupid girl may have the best of intentions, but a rejection is a rejection.
The soft, pastel world fades away, and Mukuro very abruptly finds himself back in his watery cell, trapped, alone, and out of ideas.
Fuck.
-
Nagi had been plan F (which at this point probably stands for "Fucking Desperate"), and Mukuro has yet to think of a plan G. The isolation of his new cell is eating away at his mind, gnawing at what little remains of his sanity and making him wonder why he didn't just make Ken and Chikusa the decoys like he should have.
No good deed goes unpunished, it seems. It says something about the world that he's suffering more for helping the only two companions he has left than he did for massacring two entire families.
And people wonder why he wants the world to go to hell?
Mukuro takes a few calming, mental breaths and thinks soothing thoughts. World wars. Mind control. Mass genocide.
Tsunayoshi—
He frowns at that last one, unsure of where it came from and how it relates even remotely to the other three before deciding that it's just his subconscious's way of telling him to stay on target.
Right. After weeks of searching he finally managed to find a compatible and ridiculously convenient psychic only to have her reject him, so all he's left with at this point is his previous possessions.
Ken and Chikusa. Completely out of the question. Getting them thrown back in prison due to his presence would just make his sacrifice pointless.
Lancia. A slightly better option. Mukuro already has himself a comfortable little niche within the Mafioso's mind, and from what he's heard in his brief outings Lancia not only has an allegiance with the Vongola family but is due to be released from Vendicare within the month. Still, Lancia's likely to be on his guard at this point, and no doubt the Arcobaleno's ordered a close watch on all of Mukuro's associates, free or incarcerated. Not Lancia, then.
Hibari Kyouya. Oh, tempting—it's been a while since Mukuro's found a challenge as thrilling as the Namimori Disciplinary Committee head, and the thought of breaking someone that wild and strong is nearly impossible to resist. And Kyouya could easily take on Mukuro himself with half his bones broken, so taking down Tsunayoshi at his (well, Mukuro's) best should be simple. And yet—Kyouya might be just a little too strong, as much as Mukuro hates to admit it. Controlling an unconscious Kyouya had been easy enough, but the boy has a will of steel and a homicidal streak nearly as long as Mukuro's own. No, as enjoyable as he'd find it, Hibari Kyouya wouldn't be his best option either.
Fuuta. Young, inexperienced, a bit of fight in him—the brat wouldn't be the worst option. That he lives in the Vongola heir's house is a definite bonus, but then again so does the Arcobaleno. And even if Mukuro hadn't been using the Possession Bullet at the time, Fuuta has broken his control before. Surely Mukuro can do better.
Bianchi. Lethal assassin, lives with Tsunayoshi, already tries to wound the boy on a regular basis—Mukuro gives her some serious consideration. Ah, right. Her obsession with the Arcobaleno. Whether or not the Arcobaleno is actually interested in return, he's likely to notice if his stalker starts behaving particularly oddly. Never mind, then.
Gokudera Hayato. Mukuro's own interest in the bomber is negligible, but he turns the idea over in his mind regardless. Strong fighter with a reputation, endeavoring to become the Tenth's right hand man, intelligent, volatile, more susceptible to control than Kyouya had been, in the same class as Tsunayoshi, tails after the boy like a lost puppy but lives elsewhere and therefore will draw less attention from the Arcobaleno than his sister or Fuuta, already bipolar enough that his initial personality shifts might go unnoticed—
Mukuro stops.
There's no downside. He literally cannot find one. Perhaps it's just the claustrophobia and desperation talking at this point, but he believes he's found his perfect host.
Mukuro smiles a little wider than usual and focuses his will.
This will be…entertaining.
---
Several thousand miles away, Gokudera finally sets aside the physics textbook he'd picked up for a little light reading and tries to get some sleep. He switches off his lamp, burrows under the covers, and feels himself begin to drift off, numbers still running through his head.
Sky blue and blood red suddenly flash in his mind, brighter than strobe lights, and the uncomfortably familiar sensation of another consciousness sliding into his own makes itself known.
Soft, distinctive laughter echoes in his head.
Hello, Hayato, Rokudo Mukuro purrs.
Gokudera lets out a bloodcurdling shriek and falls out of bed.
Chrooooome… (I'm sorry! IT WAS FOR THE GOOD OF THE FIC! Much love, Chrome, much love.)
That aside, this fic is likely to be a happy little melting pot of dysfunction, and as of right now I'm not sure how quickly the 6959 will develop or who exactly will end up with whom by the end, but the main focus will probably be the humor anyway. Until it isn't. Or something.
Yeah, this is why I shouldn't write author's notes at ludicrous hours.
Most importantly, though—is everyone in character? What with the AU and all I'll probably continue to ask this, but feedback would be lovely!
Yeah, I'm off to bed.