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angry-geese · 2 years

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Blood Ties - Chapter Thirty-six: Misery's Company

soulmate au Choso x reader

Warnings: Canon typical violence. slight blood and injury. very brief mention of suicide in the second to last paragraph

Synopsis: James reveals his plan for the culling game

a/n: sorry for the impromptu hiatus! things have been pretty busy around here and i haven't had nearly as much time/motivation to write as i'd like! ideally I'll be back to my bi-weekly update schedule soon!

Word count: 3.6k

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At some point in time it starts raining. The air is stale with an incoming storm. It’s cooled down considerably now. It's impossible to tell how much time has passed since they first entered this place, but James assumes it couldn't have been long.

When he reaches the sidewalk, he lights a cigarette. The pack is crumpled, and he finds he only has four left, making a mental note to grab more. Assuming he finds any.

This woman clutches her hands in front of her, which tremble faintly. Her head is bowed slightly—not in a greeting, more like in prayer. Her glasses have fallen down low on her nose, which she pushes back with a thumb.

“I suppose I owe you an apology for the cagey introduction.” She says. “I’m Maria. And you might be?”

Her hands fall to her sides, clenched in fists. She makes a repetitive motion with them, popping each of her fingers with her thumb. Her nails look as if they’ve been bitten to stubs. It's only now that James notices how tired she looks. And he can't find it within him to blame her.

“Maria Kei-” Mal says. “You used to teach in Hokkaido, right? I did my first year of teaching up there! I’m Park—Mallory. Though I would have been going by Turner when I was still working there.”

Something akin to a smile crosses Maria’s face. “I thought you looked familiar,” she says, “small world, huh? You’re an English teacher, right?”

Mallory nods. Despite her words, a certain tension hangs in the air. It's as if a weight has settled onto James’ shoulders. With his middle finger, he flicks the ash from his cigarette away. It rests on the ground for a moment, before fading out.

“We were camped out at an emergency clinic when sorcerers found us,” Maria says, “that was a few days ago. I haven't seen them since, so I can only hope they lost interest.”

If only everyone were so lucky, James thinks.

“I know the clinic she’s referring to,” Mal says. “We passed it on the way here. We’ll loop around this block. It's a longer way around, but it’ll keep us out of other player’s territory.”

Her finger traces across the map in a U shape. She’s marked the apartment complex with a large X. There’s little notes made on the sides of the map in her neat block lettering.

Traveling the main street would only take them about ten minutes on foot. This route will be nearly twenty.

The first half of the walk is uneventful. In the second half, there's one close call with a cursed spirit, which they narrowly avoid, ducking into a building to hide from it. It's cooled down considerably now. James only notices as he steps out into the street.

The words URGENT CARE are printed above the door in bold font. It looks as if someone has been here recently. The front door has been barricaded. Several of the windows have been smashed. Glass litters the sidewalk, as if they were broken from the inside out.

“You agreed to help her fast,” James says. He keeps his voice low, although he doubts anyone is around to hear them. Best to be cautious.

“If you were in her place, would you do anything different?” She asks, and when James opens his mouth to speak, she interrupts him, “wait, that's a bad comparison. I guess I just understand where she’s coming from. I can't say I’d be acting all that differently if I were in her situation,

“I do have a question for you, though.” She says. James scowls at her thinly veiled insult. “You entered this barrier willingly. Why?”

They only stop for a moment. The scent of residuals is heavy in the air. It's most potent towards the center of the street. There was a fight here. Propping himself up on the window’s ledge, James is able to climb through.

The first thing James notices is the smell of antiseptic. Papers litter the floor. A plant below the window has been knocked over, spreading dirt across the tiles. The power is on. Fluorescent lights hum overhead.

“Me and a handful of other players are looking to free a man named Satoru Gojo.” He says.

“Gojo?” Mal hums. “I haven't seen that name on the list of players.”

“That's because he’s not a player,” James says. “It's a… long story.”

Mallory shrugs in a way that seems to say we have time.

She disappears from his peripherals. James listens to her footsteps as they fade into the adjacent room. His gaze falls to the window, fixing upon the blinking OPEN sign in the window of a shop across the street. Something moves behind the blinds. From this far away, it's impossible to tell what it is, but it's too small to be a human. Perhaps it's a cat, or some other animal scavenging for food.

“So there's more of you in this barrier?” Mallory calls out.

“In this game, yeah,” he says. “But not this barrier.”

Not that he knows of, at least.

She's silent for a moment. He hears her mumble something indiscernible from this side of the room. “This friend of yours- you mentioned freeing him? Is he in jail or something?”

‘Friend’ really isn't the right word for him, James thinks.

“Kind of.” He answers.

For a moment, Mallory is silent, as if she expects him to continue speaking.

“How much do you know about jujutsu society?” James asks.

“Absolutely nothing.” She says.

James leans back on his heels. He wipes his palms off on the front of his pants.

“Well, for starters, there’s a few people you should know about: Satoru Gojo, and Kenjaku. Satoru Gojo is the strongest sorcerer alive.” James says. “He has both the Six Eyes and Infinity, effectively making him a god in a man’s body,

“Kenjaku—you said he went by Kamo to you—has trapped him in something called a prison realm. This is a relic that allows its user to trap whichever poor bastard they choose. And as long as they’re in there, time doesn't pass, they’ll never age, and unless they’re freed by someone, the only way out is to commit suicide,

“Now, with Gojo gone, Kenny has effectively leveled the playing field,

“Kenjaku himself is another story. Due to his cursed technique—which allows him to switch bodies by replacing a person's brain—he's taken over the body of a man named Suguru Geto. He’s the guy who’s trapped Gojo, and we’re trying to take him out. He’s the man responsible for this game.”

“So he's the game master?”

“Not exactly,” James says, grimacing. “As a pretense for starting this game, he wasn't allowed to be the game master. Killing him isn't going to stop the game. This whole thing is a ritual in preparation for his mergence with Tengen—another sorcerer. I don't really know all that much about him, aside from the face he's linked to the Star Plasma Vessel—don't ask—and that he's basically immortal. I've only ever met the guy once.”

Mallory blinks.

“Our sole way of defeating Kenjaku is with Suguru Geto’s help.” He says. “So in turn, we need Gojo too.”

“Why?”

“They’re soulmates, haven't you heard?” He says. “Back in Shibuya, I briefly witnessed Geto retake his body—granted, it was only for a moment. But the remnants of his soul are tied to his body. So the possibility is there. To wake him up—for lack of a better term—he needs to be in the presence of Gojo,

“These other sorcerers I'm with—they’re looking for another player. She goes by Angel, but that's not her real name, so we don't know who she is on the list of players. Supposedly we’ll know who she is when we see her.”

“Is she in this barrier?” Mal asks.

James shakes his head. Not that Mallory can see him. He mumbles a “no”, but is not certain she’s heard him. From the other room, James hears some shuffling and a gasp, followed by a “found it!”

His attention is caught by the sudden sensation of another soul—about a block away. A sorcerer. James’ head whips to the left so fast his vision spins. He makes his way towards the door, hand just barely touching the handle when Mallory enters the room.

“Where the hell are you going?” She hisses.

“We're going to attack Aikawa.”

“Why?” Her tone sounds more like a parent scolding a child than it does genuine concern.

“We need his points.” James says. “What if he knows where the exits are?”

"I really doubt it." She says.

"Part of our plan involves putting rules into place in this game," James says. "And to do that, we need points. I figure we’ll be able to convince some players to give us theirs, while others we won't have much of a choice on,

“Aikawa will be our first target. We’ll wait until a new player enters the barrier, then catch him when he’s distracted. If he doesn't agree to hand over his points, then we’ll kill him. With the two of us, he shouldn't be a problem,

“These other sorcerers I’m with—we have a plan to end this game. It involves putting several rules into place: one to allow the exchange of points between players, one to allow travel between barriers, and one to establish contact with one another. Once this game is dealt with, freeing Gojo will be much easier.”

And then…? Pray Gojo knows what to do. That's what everyone else seems to be doing.

Above them, the sky appears to open up, before spitting out a person. This new player is a man. But that's all James can see before he disappears behind some buildings.

James stops for a moment, as if to consider his plan, before breaking out into a sprint.

As he rounds the block, he hears two distinct voices. The man he assumes to be Aikawa stands over this new player, who’s fallen to his knees, shielding his face with his arms. Aikawa himself isn't the most physically imposing in stature. He's a few inches taller than James, but the other man has at least twenty pounds on him. His cursed energy output isn't particularly strong, but it can't be considered weak either. Based on that alone, James assumes he’s around the strength of a grade two sorcerer.

James grabs onto the other player's shirt, and the two hit the ground. Hard. James silently thanks his mother for forcing him to do little league football. The back of Aikawa’s head bounces off the pavement, and he has a dazed look in his eyes. The palms of James’ hands skid across the concrete, leaving them raw and bloody. Straddling his torso, knees pressed firmly into his shoulders, James has him pinned. James let's cursed energy to pool in his hands, gathering in strength. This cursed energy is different in nature—it's more agitated. Instead of being inherently negative, it's positive.

Aikawa’s eyes snap shut. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. He expects James to kill him.

And he very well could.

He can feel the man's soul under his hands. It's an odd, silky feeling. Like woodsmoke. Or like some priceless fabric. Something so thin that you could drape it across itself over and over and it’d still be sheer. It feels like neither the soul of a sorcerer, or the soul of a human.

James loops the string of fate around his fingers, and finds that it isn't attached to anything on the other end.

Instead, James sits back on his heels.

“What the hell man?!” Aikawa asks, cracking an eye open.

“The exits! For civilians! Where are they?” Says James.

He blinks.

“I'm trying to find the two exits civilians are allowed to leave through,” he says. “Do you know where they are, or not?”

“You’re just going to kill me anyway,” says Aikawa.

Tempting. But that's not the plan. “Transfer your points to me and I’ll let you live,” James says.

“I think I’d rather you just kill me,” he says, letting his head fall back to the pavement.

He groans as James leans more of his weight on him. This… isn't how this whole thing was supposed to go.

Mallory rounds the corner of the building hardly a moment later, stopping dead in her tracks with an audible “oh…”. She backs away slightly, as if she’s walked in on something she shouldn't have.

“So,” James says, resting his head on his hand. “This is uh… not going like I planned.”

Mallory nods, as if to say I see that. From his pocket, he produces a lighter, and his pack of cigarettes.

“Can I bum one of those?” Aikawa asks.

“Sure,” James says, and without a beat, holds one right up to Aikawa’s lips. He takes it, holding it between his teeth as James lights it. The strangeness of this situation only strikes him once it's over.

“The train station.” Aikawa says. He makes an attempt to sit up, but can't with James’ body pressing against his chest. “I heard something about the train station.”

“The subway?” Mal asks.

He nods. “I haven't been around that way myself, so I don't know how true this is. But I’ve heard about it enough times for there not to be some truth to it.”

The subway is on the other side of this colony, if James is going by Mal's map. And if more players know about this exit, then it's likely going to be guarded. Much like the players that hang around the barriers entrance, others may wait by the exits for unsuspecting civilians to wander by.

His eyes fall to the other player. Aikawa's hands are raised slightly, but not reaching for a weapon. And as long as James can muster up cursed energy, his technique is effectively neutralized. As long as they're touching, that is.

“Why help us now?” James asks.

“Consider it thanks,” he says, “for the smoke. Now will you get off my ass?”

James stands. Aikawa lets out a groan as he sits up. There's a considerable amount of dirt on his back, which he quickly brushes off.

“Why do you care so much about the exit anyway? It's not like you can leave through them… ” Aikawa pauses for a moment, and seems to process what he's said. "You found survivors."

And though James doesn't sense any intent to attack, he knows that Aikawa has an ulterior motive. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, as if he’s visibly weighing his options. Lying is always an option. Maybe it's not the best, but it's there.

"How many are there?" Aikawa asks.

"A few. They're armed." James says.

It's not necessarily a lie, so much as it's an exaggeration of the truth. What’s this guy want with a teacher, and a bunch of kids anyway?

"So… what?" He asks. "You gonna play hero? Help them escape? Or do you plan to lead them there to cull them?"

His phrasing makes James’ stomach churn. Cull. Like they're livestock.

"Altogether they're not going to be worth that many points," James says. "It's not worth it if you ask me. But they'll be a great lure for other players.” Another lie.

"So you're using them as bait? Smart."

"What else do you know about this barrier?" Asks James. "What players have you run into?"

"Not many," he says, "aside from the obvious,

"There's a large group with a camp in the center of this colony. Supposedly they're pretty tough. They've got numbers. Then you have the outliers—people like us—the ones who keep to themselves. At most they're in groups of one or two, and were strong enough to survive the initial two weeks. Then there’s the demons. But they don't really come out until after dark."

"Demons?" Mal asks.

"Cursed spirits." Answers James. Has she really not encountered any? They're all over Tokyo…

Mallory nods, like she understands, but the look in her eyes doesn't change.

“You’ve seen them?” Aikawa asks.

“A few times.” He says, before switching the subject to something else. “Do new players come in through the barrier often?”

“It was pretty steady the first week.” Aikawa says. “It's slowed down considerably now. Hardly one comes in a day anymore.”

Those who are going to declare their participation in the game likely would have by now. There may be some stragglers, but the amount of players will only go down from here. The smaller that number grows, the stronger the general population will get.

That leaves them at a standstill. Not much is going to happen in this barrier until someone comes along and tampers with the fine balance of things.

Mallory glances from James, to Aikawa, then back to James, as if to ask: “are you really not going to kill him?”

"Well, we should get off the street before dark, then," Mal finally says.

Aikawa nods. And James can't find it in himself to protest.

“I suppose if you’re ever back this way, just yell, and I’ll try not to kill you,” Aikawa says, flashing a wolfish grin.

…

The temperature has dropped nearly ten degrees. James’ breath fogs in the air. Though the sidewalk out in front of the apartment complex is empty, lights are visible inside. They’re dim, as if someone is making an attempt to conceal them.

Maria exits first, greeting them with a nod. Then a man follows shortly behind her. "You're back!" She says.

"You sound surprised." Mal says.

"I guess I am," Maria says, "I was expecting you to have run off. Were you able to find it?"

Mal tosses the inhaler to her. She catches it, turning it over in her hands, examining it. "We found a lead on one of the exits too," she says, "supposedly civilians are able to leave through the train station."

"Is it guarded?" Maria asks.

James and Mallory both shrug. Maria sighs, tiredly, and nods.

"Well, there's no use wandering around at night," says Maria, motioning for them to join her, "you should get inside."

There's a blast of warm air as James steps into the lobby. He smells something cooking—like meat. Though he doesn't have much of an appetite, he figures he should eat soon.

During the time they were gone, the elevator has been powered back on. James steps into it, pressing the button for the highest floor. There's a ding as it stops, opening to a darkened hallway. Guided by the light of his phone, he finds the door labeled ROOF ACCESS, relieved to find it unlocked.

From the rooftop, nearly the entire colony is visible. Fires burn to the left, towards the edge of the barrier. They pour black smoke all along the skyline. And if James stops, and tries to focus on it, he smells burning plastic. To the right, lights glint faintly. Fog is just beginning to roll in. It lingers to the west—what he assumes to be the west. Hard to tell when you can’t see the sun. It must be coming in from the ocean.

Mal wasn't wrong about the view.

Though he doesn't hear the roof door open, he feels the presence of another person behind him. Mallory. Under one arm, she cradles two bowls. In her free hand, she clutches two sets of chopsticks.

"Thought you'd be up here. Take," orders Mallory, handing him a bowl. It looks to be some sort of beef and rice mixture. Despite being hungry, James only picks at his meal.

Mallory joins him on the roof, sitting beside them. Their legs nearly touch. And he feels much as if he's back in the occult club's room, hovering over that ouija board. He can still smell the grease from the McDonald’s bag, and the ungodly amount of Axe that Louis would use. Such a feeling should be nostalgic, but it only makes the man nauseous.

"Hey Mal," James says, pointing over the railing. "Check that out."

"Lights?" She says. "What idiots…"

"You know what this means," he says, sighing. "more players…" more people to kill. More points.

From his pocket, James fishes out his pack of smokes. His lighter is getting low on fluid, he finds, making a mental note to grab a new one.

“Can I bum one of those?” Mal asks.

“I didn't know you smoked.” He says, nodding.

“I figure it's not too late to start.” She says. Though there's no tone of sarcasm to her voice, James figures that that's her intention.

After handing her one, he finds he has one left. She fumbles with the lighter for a moment, before bringing the flame to the end of her cigarette. The acrid smell of smoke fills the air. The first drag sends her into a coughing fit.

“That's… that's horrible,” she says, passing the still burning cigarette to him, “how do you stand it?”

“You get used to it,” James says.

He brings the cigarette to his lips, holding it there, but never taking a drag. Mallory steps over to the railing, leaning against it. Below them, hardly more than ten feet, are nets, winging out about four feet from the sides of the building. The wind has picked up, and it rattles them loudly. James can't help but think that they’ll do little to stop a person from jumping.

Perhaps it was Louis who cursed him in the end.

“We are quite different,” Mallory says. “You and I. I have come here to scope things out, and you have come here to gaze upon the end of it all.”

#jjk x reader #choso x reader #kinda lol #its a james chapter this time but the next one will be back to the reader and choso #choso kamo x reader #choso #choso kamo #jjk #blood ties #if this reads like i was drunk while i was editing it i was so sorry lol #and egrigious errors will hopefully be fixed by tomorrow

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ryoskuna · 3 years

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⭑ shaken, not stirred universe. | introduction.

notes: we’ve heard about bartender!sukuna, so get ready for the others! think of this as those choose-your-own adventure games, where you can choose your own love interest and path. you’re not just limited to sukuna, but you’ve got many more love interests you can choose (or request). this is just a humble introduction to the roles each jjk character fills within the shaken, not stirred universe, and may allude to some of the situations you may encounter on you way. so grab a snack, buckle in, cause it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

depending on how tumblr updates go, this may become a project reserved for AO3, but I’ll do what I can for now, here on tumblr. feel free to ask about any of the characters, and you all know how to find my inbox. additionally, i’m going to try and make this as gender-neutral and reader-neutral as possible, BUT, i’m also slightly biased in making content for black girls because I am one, so we’ll see how this goes. each drabble or fic will be marked for what kind of reader it discusses. also, i’m a sucker for a good oc... so there may be a whole related series with an original character(s). this is just the introduction for the universe so you know who is who.

MAIN ROUTES INCLUDE: sukuna, toji, nanami, megumi, yuji, mei mei, gojo, and geto. i’d be open to include routes for nobara, maki, inumaki, yuta, kamo, todo, momo, and mai (and maybe, choso) (but by default, nobara and maki are together unless requested individually, and mai is with momo (unless you request them individually as well). regardless of route, shoko and utahime are together.) but you would have to request these characters as in send me a message going “for the shaken not stirred universe, i would like a mai x reader, or nobara x reader”.

warnings: they’ll vary by route/character you choose, however, some general warnings is mentions of alcohol, past relationships, drama, angst. there’s some potential for 18+ content, however it will be marked as such (should it occur). oh, and there’s probably some unchecked grammar or spelling errors. there’s also a little bit of manga spoilers due to some characters being introduced.

summary: welcome to malevolent shrine, in the heart of shibuya, and one of the best rated bars on yelp. for all it’s worth ( and that one entryway at the side that you have to go down a set of exterior stairs and through a laundromat to get through that entrance) and despite the name, in its two story glory, it’s a fun place to be. the people who enter or work there are even better. and they’ve all got stories to tell. sit back, grab a drink, and prepare for what may be some of the most interesting events you’ve ever seen.

bonus: sukuna specific playlist ( x ), malevolent shrine playlist ft. sounds from their local acts/musicians ( x ), more to be added later (i am thinking of one called ‘toji’s ipod shuffle’, another called ‘dancing in gojo’s living room’, and one called ‘sitting in the passenger seat of geto’s car’.)

introducing the characters!

bartender!sukuna: new owner of the bar, malevolent shrine. when he gained ownership two years ago, he remodeled the bar and renamed it, as it was about to foreclose until he took managerial control, and the original owner gave him the bar when they retired. has a college degree in art history and art, has a few business management courses under his belt. he’s yuji’s older brother, and he’s very intense. there’s headcanons for him here ( x ). he has a signature drink, named after the bar, called malevolent shrine.

accountant!nanami: think of him as sukuna’s second in command (next to uraume) but he manages the finances of malevolent shrine. also hates work, but sukuna allows him to do what he wants, so he enjoys it slightly more. has a signature drink called 7-to-3.

budding model!nobara: in a professional rivalry with mai, however she is a signed to a modeling agency as well as growing in her instagram presence.

college student!maki: she is in her senior year of college, and is an athlete that does track and field — shot-put and discus and javelin.

benefactor!gojo: an old classmate of sukuna’s, now turned benefactor and donor to malevolent shrine to keep it open. he and sukuna have a so-so relationship (with gojo remembering that sukuna took the job as a way to take care of his younger brother yuji and their grandfather). sukuna did make a drink in his honor called infinite void.

restaurant owner!geto: owns a high-scale restaurant with mei mei. raising two twin girls. he’s mostly a retired pianist, but he helped sign the lease with mei mei for stability’s sake.

benefactor!mei mei: is a rival to gojo, both in terms of owning her restaurant (more like funding it) and buys whatever she likes (whether it’s an item or a person).

culinary student!yuji: works as a “head” of the kitchen at malevolent shrine. he’s sukuna’s younger brother, and sukuna tends to give him free reign on the meals that he makes. but everything he makes is good. when he’s not at school or malevolent shrine, he’s usually hanging out with nobara and megumi.

indie artist!megumi: one of the main and recurring acts at malevolent shrine. plays the guitar and will deny that he ever learned how to play the violin. he’s sort of adopted by gojo, but knows his father toji, and they’re working on reconciling their relationship. he’s roommates with yuji and nobara, and often used as nobara’s photographer.

bouncer!toji: the dilf. he’s boxing buddies with sukuna, as well as a force to be reckoned with at the bar. he’s good at his job and dare someone to pick a fight with him. you won’t win. sukuna made a drink in his honor called playful cloud.

musician!kamo: does a mixture of traditional japanese music and heavy metal, and he’s rivals with megumi. he can play an electric shamisen.

instagram model!mai and makeup artist!momo: sort of girlfriends, sort of FWBs, sort of exes, no one is exactly sure what’s going on there, and no one wants to ask. mai is a popular instagram model, but has yet to be signed to an agency. momo is her makeup artist, as well as a professional one.

part-time waitress!miwa: she works at malevolent shrine, helping as a waitress, and has a baking yt channel that’s growing in popularity and often features her two brothers.

physical trainer!todo: works at the gym sukuna and toji frequently attend. he’s very supportive to old and newcomers alike, and does not tolerate elitists who have been going to the gym for years. he also does the occasional twitch stream of his workouts.

guitarist!yuta: plays the guitar for inumaki. he can play both electric and acoustic, and he’s like a second cousin to gojo, although no one is exactly sure how they’re related.

singer!inumaki: he’s a singer, however, no one has ever seen his face when he performs. he performs as a silhouette behind a screen.

paramedic!shoko and high school teacher!utahime: shoko is a paramedic who attends the bar on her days off, and often drags utahime along. shoko makes sure that geto and gojo get along in public, and makes sure utahime relaxes to some extent.

shoko and sukuna hold each other accountable for not relapsing on their smoking addiction.

promotions and tech support!mechamaru: works at malevolent shrine and helps with the graphic design as well as tech support for the bands and musical acts that come through the bar. watches miwa’s baking channel in his spare time, and will talk to her about her recipes. has a crush on miwa.

notes:

geto and gojo are very complicated exes. no one knows how they broke up or why — just that it happened in front of a kfc —but there’s so many stories about them floating around like they were going to elope and travel the world, but no one knows the exact truth.

gojo raised megumi and tsumiki very briefly for some years while toji was a brief drifter. yes, megumi is aware that toji is his dad.

yuji, nobara, and megumi are roommates.

yuta and inumaki are a musical duo. they come as a set.

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