#niragi is a loveable asshole

[drainslo]

Brains & Brawn- Chapter 1: Meeting

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

You thought you had spent a little over two months in the Borderlands, as you leveled your rifle to kill a giraffe that was running away. It was strange how desensitized you were to killing things by now.

Niragi poked his head out from around a nearby enclosure. You pulled the earplug out of your ear to hear him complain. “—-got the giraffe? You know I wanted to kill it! Fucking lame.”

“Sorry, forgot about your obsession with big, tall things. Maybe it’s ‘cuz you’re projecting something you’re insecure about onto other things,” you rolled your eyes at Niragi’s tantrum.

Niragi frowned and pointed his sniper rifle towards you. You sighed and put the earplug back in your ear then stepped away from the glass window behind you. You knew what was coming next.

CRACK

The glass window shattered and you adeptly maneuvered away from the shards that now littered the floor. They twinkled like small pieces of stardust. Beautiful, but would cut you if you got too close.

“Niragi!” you protested in playful annoyance. He was the most melodramatic of the militants, so you knew that he would try to pull a stunt like this. Despite his mischief, you knew he would never do anything to seriously hurt you.

He hopped towards you across the glass and pulled out your earplug.

“Whoops,” he paused, then dropped it to the ground and walked away.

“Jerk! Get back here!” You sighed as you dismally looked at the fallen earplug. Niragi always called you lame for using one, but you didn’t want the sound of gunshots to damage your hearing more than necessary.

You then heard a familiar chime. Finally, the six of spades game was cleared. The start of a car engine running startled you, and you walked out of the zoo.

Aguni and the other militants were already waiting for you, and one seat was left for you. 

“What took you so long?” Niragi teased as you stepped into the car.

“I ran into some trouble on the way here by the name of Suguru Niragi,” you quipped back.

“You can kill each other back at the Beach,” Aguni said unimpressed and started driving.

“Aw, ‘shucks,” Niragi grumbled, but you knew he was being insincere.

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

Once you got back at the Beach, Hatter appraised your group. “Six of spades? Great! Also great timing– I’m calling an executive meeting right now.”

You groaned in annoyance, because even though you were the Beach’s #9 militant, that didn’t mean you liked going to Hatter’s meetings. You’d rather do target practice with Niragi outside.

Aguni and Hatter led the way, conversing about something important as you trailed behind them with Niragi and Last Boss. 

“What do you think it’s about this time?” you smirked at Niragi, inviting him to join in on your disparagement of the executive meetings.

“I would bet my life that it’s either something absolutely insane, or absolutely moronic,” Niragi laughed.

Hatter pushed open the meeting room’s doors where the rest of the executives were already waiting, and a player you vaguely recognized. You never learned his name, but he was one of the few in the Borderlands that still maintained dyed blonde hair. 

The way his hair caught in the light, you admired, made it look like stardust. 

“Ladies, lads, I have a member here who is a most invaluable asset to the Beach,” Hatter’s eyes glinted in a way that made you feel extremely unsettled. He was plotting something, you were sure of.

Hatter dramatically paused before locking eyes with you. “I’m thinking of making him a new executive.”

Your heart dropped. Sure you were an executive, but you were the lowest ranking one. Hatter was directly threatening your position.

“Can’t you count? We already have all 9 spots for executives,” Niragi was always unabashed when it came to speaking against Hatter.

“I’m well aware of that. I compared the cards between (Name), and Chishiya here, and Chishiya almost has the same value as (Name). Wouldn’t it be unfair to the Beach if a member who was less worthy was ranked higher?” Hatter replied.

“Bullshit. The militants are already significantly less than your little group Hatter. If you could do math, you’d see that removing (Name) would disrupt the balance more,” Niragi said menacingly and propped up his gun against his shoulder, as if reminding Hatter who had the power to kill.

“Well, that depends on the card your group brought back. Did you say it was six of spades?”

This time it was Aguni who replied, “Yes.”

Hatter frowned for a second, and looked down at a piece of paper that I just realized he was carrying. He traced his writing with his fingers slowly and looked pensive for a moment before speaking.

“Well I’ll be damned. You two now are perfectly tied,” Hatter said, sounding disappointed.

“So, what does that mean now?”  You asked worriedly. You got the feeling that you weren’t exactly out of the woods yet.

Hatter paused again, presumably to think. You were surprised at how much thought he was putting into this. You looked over at Chishiya, who was staring blankly at a bug writhing on the floor. He looked oblivious as to the quandary Hatter now found himself in. 

In fact, you thought, it looked like Chishiya didn’t care about what was happening at the meeting at all.

An stepped forward, always the voice of reason. “There should be an evaluative measure to see who’s more deserving of the title. Maybe a duel of sorts between the two?”

You grinned, and brandished your rifle playfully. Chishiya made eye contact with you as you scanned him up and down. He had a lithe figure that was not particularly athletic. 

“I’d go for a gun duel any day. Or maybe even some sparring would be fun. It’s been ages since I last beat someone up,” you said. To your surprise, Chishiya didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.

Hatter waved you off almost immediately. “No, no, no! Chishiya– no offense– would get creamed. I’ll think about a way to determine who gets to keep the position. In the meantime, (Name) and Chishiya will share the number 9 executive room temporarily.”

“What?” you blurted before you could stop yourself. At this comment, Chishiya also appeared startled.

“I said temporarily. You know, just to see how things go. You can keep your room, (Name), and Chishiya can get a taste of the executive lifestyle. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to see how you guys handle things up close. So, what do you say–up for sharing a room for a while?” Even though Hatter had now phrased the situation like you had a choice, you knew that in reality you had none.

You sighed and lowered your head before nodding.

“I have no problem with it,” was the first and only thing Chishiya said coolly.

Hatter clapped his hands together. “Great! Executives dismissed.”

As soon as you exited the meeting room, you turned the corner to slide against the wall. You placed your rifle next to you, and used your arms to cover your head. This was the worst possible outcome of the meeting. 

“Hey, I need your key,” a voice interrupted your misery.

You uncovered yourself to look up at the person who spoke. Chishiya was holding his hand out expectedly.

When you didn’t move or respond, he prompted you again impatiently. “Hatter needs to make a copy for me.”

You ripped the key off your wristband and dropped it unceremoniously into his waiting palm before storming off with your rifle.

“Thanks” he said dryly to your back.

You went to find Niragi to kill him, because the meeting was not absolutely insane or absolutely moronic.

It was somehow a worse cocktail combination of the two.

[drainslo]

Brains & Brawn- Chapter 2: The Deal

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

“My life is so miserable now. Somehow this is all your fault.” was the first thing you said when you found Niragi. He jinxed the meeting for you after all.

“Ow!” Niragi jumped back when you hit him with your rifle on his shoulder.

“—and now they’ve moved an extra bed into my room, Niragi. Can you believe it?”

Niragi tried to hide his laughter, but was unsuccessful. You hit him again.

“I can’t believe you’re finding this funny! Get back here!” Niragi had to duck to avoid you as you continued your meltdown.

“What are you bitching about? Would you rather share a bed with Chishiya?” Niragi said, pausing. “You know, that wouldn’t be so bad for you actually. He looks decent and you need a lay.”

Chishiya certainly was attractive, but that didn’t stop you from shuddering at Niragi’s suggestion. Did he really think of you that way? “One night stands are your thing, Niragi.”

“Suit yourself. But you know…” Niragi leaned in close to your ear to speak. “You could always stay in my room with me.”

“Oh, screw off,” You raised the rifle like you were going to swing, but instead brushed past Niragi as he jumped back. 

“The offer still stands!” he yelled.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You had been avoiding your room once Hatter had given you your new roommate. You went out to practice your aim constantly at the militant target area, improving your consistency faster than ever. You worked on your fitness at the Beach’s gym, and hung around the sauna constantly.

The few times you stopped by your room to make sure Chishiya hadn’t stolen anything, you never saw him. It still didn’t stop you from staying away from the awkwardness of the room.

One day, you went to your room to change your swimwear. You would think that you would have an exception to the silly rule as a militant, but Hatter insisted that it would be unfair if you were the only woman who had an exception. ‘Can’t be playing favorites now, hm?’

You usually wore all-white cover-up sets with swim tops, and shorts or skirts depending on the day. You didn’t particularly mind the swimwear, because it didn’t restrict your movement at all and Hatter allowed you to keep the holster on your belt at the Beach.

You stood facing your closet and carelessly pulled off your current top, to switch it for a new one when you heard the door open. You quickly pulled the top down and whipped around, drawing the handgun you always carried on you. Only Beach executives could leave their doors locked.

You slinked around the corner and had the gun to the intruder’s head in a matter of seconds.

“Woah, woah there. That’s no way to treat the Beach’s number 9 is it?” 

You dropped the gun immediately. How could you have forgotten that Chishiya also had a key?

“You’re not the number 9,” you replied.

“Not yet,” he hummed. Chishiya drew his gaze to the wall of guns you had. “Does Hatter know about that?”

“Maybe,” you said nervously. You had approval to bring in guns, but you weren’t sure that Hatter would approve of your colorful display.

“I could always go talk to Hatter about our living arrangement. Maybe I’d mention offhandedly the assortment of weapons you have here.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” you said, cocking your handgun.

“Would I?” You wanted to wipe the smug look off Chishiya’s face by threatening him, but he didn’t budge.

“Anyways, I wanted to talk with you about this recent development,” Chishiya gestured at the wall of weapons. “I’m willing to make a deal with you.”

“What sort of deal? I don’t make deals with devils” You narrowed your eyes suspiciously at him, and squeezed the base of the gun for reassurance.

“Teach me how to use this.” Your eyes widened as Chishiya drew out a handgun that he’d been holding behind his back for the duration of your conversation.

“W-Where did you get that?” you stuttered, too shocked to care about your voice breaking. Chishiya wasn’t a militant, yet somehow he had a gun. You realized far too late you underestimated him at Hatter’s meeting.

“That’s none of your concern. What is your concern is Hatter and that flashy showcase of weapons you got there. I could walk to him right now–”

“I could also report you for that gun,” you interrupted, seeing the obvious flaw in his plan.

Chishiya laughed, and your puzzled expression made him laugh even harder. He sounded insincere which put you on edge.

“Let’s see who can hide their secrets better, then. I can easily get rid of this gun. But you have multiple rifles, automatics, and semi-automatics–”

“Alright, I get it. I’ll teach you how to use that pitiable gun so you don’t sell me out,” you cut off Chishiya again before he could continue degrading you and put your gun back in the holster.

“Perfect. We should set a time for meeting during the week. Do Tuesday afternoons work for you?” 

“Yes, as long as I don’t have a game that day. Do you know where the militant training ground is?” you asked Chishiya. He looked mildly surprised by what you just said, and shook his head in response.

“Then meet me here Tuesdays, and I’ll show you.” You grabbed the cover-up that was now thrown on the floor and pulled it on hastily. You made a move to leave but then paused, a thought suddenly coming to you.

“Why haven’t you been staying here? I’ve never seen you here before.”

“Ah,” Chishiya appeared faintly disappointed. “I was preparing my things. Were you missing me?”

“Fat chance,” you stepped around him and slammed the door behind you. You thought that you heard Chishiya say something in reply, but you didn’t stop to check.

[drainslo]

Brains & Brawn- Chapter 5: Spades

You watched Chishiya rest for a bit while trying to blink away the throbbing hangover feeling  you had. He looked incredibly vulnerable, you thought.

This was the first time both of you had slept overnight in the room. You almost laughed at the irony. First, it was you avoiding Chishiya. Then it was him awkwardly trying to give you space until he bribed you with drinks.

He was a man who knew the way to your heart.

The sun reflected off his face in a way that made him look heavenly. It felt sinful to admire him while he wasn’t aware of it. The light highlighted his blonde hair, which you noticed was dyed by the black showing his roots growing in. 

He was so easy on the eyes that you felt your face start to flush. You almost forgot the cruelty he once showed you. You chastised yourself for this, you may have let him buy you drinks but you weren’t going to harbor a crush for a man like this. Right?

You tentatively hopped out of bed, trying your best to be quiet. You rummaged through your closet for a change of clothes, before settling on an all black two-piece bikini with a sheet cover-up. You heard Chishiya start to stir.

You turned to watch as he silently opened his eyes and blinked at you.

“Good morning,” you said awkwardly.

He ignored your greeting, and looked around the room. He seemed faintly surprised that he was there for some reason.

“I didn’t mean to stay here,” he finally said.

“It’s expected. I mean Hatter wanted us in this situation, it’s more surprising it didn’t happen earlier,” was your reply.

“I only meant to bring you back here. It was late, and I had been drinking so I wanted to rest before leaving. I didn’t plan on staying overnight.” Chishiya seemed truthful for once, and looked as awkward as you felt.

You decided to relieve Chishiya from the awkwardness of the situation by letting him know he could stay with you. You had avoided each other long enough, and he proved he could be civil with you. However, you mostly decided on this because you felt the threat of Hatter looming overhead.

It would be unpleasant if Hatter found you were disobeying his orders, and it was pure luck that you hadn’t had an executive meeting or run into him recently. Sure you were impulsive and did things before thinking, but you weren’t stupid enough to keep defying Hatter.

“Chishiya, you don’t have to avoid this room. We were forced into this situation, but we should try to make the best of it and be civil roommates.” You said as you walked to the coffee-maker to boil water.

Chishiya looked contemplative, but a slight smile grew on his face. His smile was perfectly fine, you noted, thinking of how Kuina compared it to a grimace earlier. More than fine actually. “Alright,” he said.

He went to sit at the desk, pulling out the taser he was working on.

“Did it get broken?” you asked out of curiosity. 

He hummed in agreement. “At my last game.”

You left him as you went to find Kuina to spar with. To your surprise, you ran into Niragi with a woman on his arm.

“Hey! If it isn’t my favorite bitch,” he said, as if oblivious to the other woman.

You watched as she wrenched herself out of his grip, shooting you both a dirty look as she stormed away.

“Niragi! The same goes for you,” you smiled, looking for a topic to converse over. “How have your games been?”

Niragi’s face darkened briefly before he mimicked your smile, but it was too uncanny for someone who constantly risked their life in sadistic games. “Good— actually, pretty fucking amazing. I’ve never felt better.”

As he spoke, a chill of fear that was never there before rushed down your spine. He was too excited over it, and you saw a hungry look in his eye that you never noticed before.

“T-that’s great! I have to participate tonight in leading a group. My visa is expiring soon,” you stuttered, hating yourself for it. 

“Hah! Sounds fun. Speaking of fun— how have things been going with blondie?” Niragi laughed at his nickname for Chishiya.

“It’s getting better. I think.”

“I bet 15000 yen that he sleeps with you.”

You were taken aback at Niragi’s suggestion. Seeing the look on your face, he continued sarcastically, “What? He’s a man sharing a room with a beautiful woman.”

You hit the back of his head playfully before he could say more and walked to find Kuina in the area she usually smoked at.

——————

You waited with the rest of the masses for Hatter to finish making his rousing speech for the Beach’s players participating in games that night. You had to admit, you hated Hatter but he was extremely good with crowd control.

He finished speaking, and players started splitting into groups. Hatter usually divided groups into 4 or 5, with one of each speciality composing a group to make it balanced, as well as a supervising executive.

You watched as a couple meandered over to your group. “#9?” they asked, and you nodded.

There should be one more you noted, and then you saw a familiar blonde making his way over to you. You watched in disbelief as he stood next to you calmly.

“Are you in group #9?” the woman in the couple asked.

Chishiya nodded, and cooly looked towards you. He made four players, and it didn’t look like anyone else was joining.

“Alright, let’s get this started,” you said and led them all to the convertible. 

You were grateful that Tatta had such good taste in cars, and you drove to the game venue quickly. The car ride was spent in uncomfortable silence only broken by murmurs of the couple in the back. Chishiya was sitting shotgun next to you, and he was gazing out the window the entire ride.

You entered the venue with everyone, which took place in a high school football field with a line dividing the two sides. There were four phones left on the table when you entered, and four players who had already joined were waiting. You each reached for a phone.

GAME START

DIFFICULTY: FIVE OF SPADES

[CAPTURE THE FLAG]

NO WEAPON USE

TIME: 60 MINUTES

RULES:

PLAYERS MUST SPLIT INTO TEAMS OF FOUR AND PICK A SIDE OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD. 

THERE IS A FLAG ON EACH SIDE WITH A CIRCLED SAFEZONE AROUND IT. EACH TEAM MUST TRY TO GET THE FLAG FROM THE OTHER SIDE. THE GAME IS CLEARED ONCE A TEAM GETS THE FLAG FROM THE OTHER SIDE AND BRINGS IT TO THEIRS.

OUTSIDE OF THE FLAG’S SAFEZONE, ONCE THE PLAYER CROSSES INTO THE OPPOSING TEAM’S TERRITORY THEY MAY BE TAGGED BY AN OPPONENT. TAGGED PLAYERS GO TO ‘JAIL,’ A ZONE BEHIND THE FLAG.

THEY MUST REMAIN IN ‘JAIL,” UNTIL A TEAMMATE TAGS THEM, AND ONLY FREED JAILED PLAYERS CAN WALK BACK TO THEIR SIDE SAFELY. THE TEAMMATE WHO TAGGED THEM CAN STILL BE TAGGED.

IF ALL MEMBERS OF ONE TEAM ARE IN ‘JAIL,” IT IS GAME CLEAR FOR THE OTHER TEAM.

ALL PLAYERS WILL BE ELIMINATED IF THERE IS NO CLEAR WINNER BY THE TIME LIMIT.

“So there’s two strategies,” Chishiya looked faintly amused after the game’s rules were read. “Go for the offensive and try to get the flag from the other side–”

“--Or tag all players from the other team,” a man that wasn’t from the Beach finished Chishiya’s sentence. He smirked wickedly at Chishiya, and turned to team with his friend.

“All from the Beach form a team?” you questioned, but it wasn’t really a question. The couple nodded, but Chishiya didn’t respond. “Chishiya?”

He sighed like he was doing you a favor, and resigned himself to be part of your team. You took the left side of the football field and waited for the rest of the players to walk on the right side.

While waiting, you found that the woman from the couple was a hearts player while her boyfriend played clubs.

“I’m not particularly good at anything,” he explained and winked, “But I have a knack for surviving.”

“I think we should just rush the other side as soon as the game starts,” you said slowly. The couple looked unsure, and you didn’t see Chishiya’s reaction. For you, it made the most sense. There was no better opportunity to catch the other team off guard, and you could end the game quickly if one of you made it to the flag zone.

“Is anyone here good at running?” Chishiya asked. You and the man raised your hands. You weren’t surprised at the implied lack of athletic prowess from Chishiya.

“Her and I,” Chishiya pointed at the woman, “Will serve more as distractions for the other team. (Name) and your boyfriend will focus on targeting the flag.” 

“But what about the flag? If the other team does the same, someone should guard it,” the man protested. He didn’t seem too eager about being sent into the lion’s den. It was a smart thought from him, you noted frowning. You would have sent everyone from the team to the other side without a thought.

“Then a sprinter should stay to chase them down. (Name) should do it,” Chishiya replied. The man exhaled with disappointment. It was now clear that he wished to stay on this side. You realized that you didn’t know the names of the other players.

“Hey what are your names–” You were interrupted by the game start sound before you could continue talking further, and you watched as everyone rushed to the other side.

The other team wasn’t expecting the sudden attack, but even still the woman was chased down easily. You watched as Chishiya was targeted by the smirking guy from earlier. Chishiya was jogging lightly, but somehow hadn’t gotten tagged yet.

You turned your attention to the man who was supposed to be targeting the flag. He was almost there. So close. You almost cheered. You watched as his foot was about to step into the safe zone when he was suddenly yanked back by the smirking player.

How? He was targeting Chishiya. You drew your gaze to see Chishiya already heading towards the designated jail area where the woman was waiting.

With horror you realized that you were the only player standing on your side. The only player standing between life and death for you and three other people.

[drainslo]

Brains & Brain: Chapter 4: Nightmares

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

You repeat in your head, a shooter, before you’re overwhelmed. The gunshots are all you can hear, and reality starts to distort as your ears ring. “Run!” a woman in heels screams before she’s gunned down. You barely stumble behind a car before the shots hit the spot where you just were.

Everything is so dizzy, you can’t keep steady. The scene before you blurs as you hear the screams of agony of a man on the floor. There’s a bullet hole in his chest, yet he’s still screaming. It’s clear to you that he wishes he was dead like the shooter next to him.

You’re standing with a gun pointed out. Your hands are shaking as you follow the trail of the gun to the man on the floor. He’s looking at you, swearing something inaudible as the world keeps spinning.

You think that you’re going to fall through the cracks until you feel the hand of Niragi behind you. He grabs your shoulder and says something inaudible. You turn around to look at him when he vanishes. The bloodied man is in his place with blood streaming down his face. He’s screaming in your face and you cover your head, wishing for it all to end.

With a jolt, you startled awake. Your head is pounding from the hangover from the other night. You wanted to drink to avoid it, but Chishiya’s reminder of the game triggered your nightmares again. 

Just when you started to forget, he brought you back to hell.

You turned to the second bed that now occupied your room, half expecting to see Chishiya lying there. The sheets are neatly folded like nobody had ever been there. The starch of the sheets was ironed as if it were new. 

At least Chishiya had the decency to leave you alone. 

You changed your swimwear, and walked towards the fitness center to blow off some steam. You wanted to feel the physical burn of your muscles to replace the emotional anguish you woke up in.

As you walked, you noticed a woman in blue swimwear leaning against a column watching the direction you came from. She smoked a cigarette, and locked eyes with you.

She approached you, and waved like you were a familiar friend. This was the first time you had ever seen her in your life.   

“Hi there! You’re (Name), right?” she grinned like there was an inside joke you were missing.

“Yes,” you said tentatively, unsure about her demeanor. “I’m (Name). And you are?” Your voice trailed off in confusion.

“Wow, he didn’t mention me at all.” the woman murmured under her breath. She was so quiet you almost missed it.

“I’m Kuina! I’ve heard you’re like the spades player! I’ve been looking for someone to spar with. I used to do Kyokushin Karate in the real world, and I feel rusty.”

Her warm tone and friendliness relieved your uneasiness, but you still felt that there was something missing. You shook off the feeling and smiled at her. To you, she seemed like a genuinely good person, so there shouldn’t have been any reason to feel that way.

“I’m not really that great, I’m the lowest ranking executive after all. I just clear spades here and there. I just like to keep my physical fitness up in my free time. I haven’t practiced Karate really in a while. I stopped in college because I didn’t have time,” you replied.

“There’s always time to shake the rust off! Come on, I know a place to practice” Kuina said and linked arms with you, guiding you towards an empty room you hadn’t known about.

You chattered pleasantly with her throughout the way, and you felt a friendship begin to form between you two. The anxious feeling from your stomach lessened with every step you took until you entered the room.

Kuina abruptly detached your arms to assume a fighting stance and smiled at you expectantly. “Well?”

You mimicked her stance, and laughed lightly. “Don’t expect much from me,” you warned.

“You can’t be that bad!” was Kuina’s reply.

You hoped you weren’t.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After losing to Kuina, you rubbed the parts of your body that were aching. You weren’t awful, you were just very out of practice with sparring. It made you feel better to release some steam after fighting with Kuina. The nightmare felt like a distant memory.

Kuina apologized for injuring you, and said, “Hey! You were pretty good for being rusty.”

You fought to grin but all you could manage was a disturbing grimace. 

Kuina saw the expression on your face and burst out laughing. “God, you look like Chishiya when he tries to be nice!”

You froze at the mention of Chishiya’s name. Kuina noticed when you did and cursed under her breath. “I’m sorry, shit I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“Say what?” you questioned. You had no idea how Kuina was involved with Chishiya, and you weren’t sure if you wanted to know.

“Um,” Kuina paused as if thinking about what to say next. “I like you, so I’ll be honest. I’m not exactly sure what happened between you two, but Chishiya told me to meet you here.”

“Why would he do that?” you prompted Kuina to continue.

“He vaguely said that you would need a nice person to be around, and he said if we reached an um cordial- his words not mine- point, to deliver a message. He wanted to express that he regretted the words he said to you.”

You immediately began to laugh at the way Chishiya apologized. “He couldn’t say this himself?”

Kuina cracked an uneasy smile. “I know you don’t know Chishiya that well, but he has his own ways of doing things. I don’t think he’s ever apologized for anything his entire life to be honest.”

A thought suddenly struck you after Kuina spoke. 

“Kuina,” you said slowly. “Do you know that I’m sharing a room with Chishiya?”

Kuina’s smile slowly faded to horrified. “You? You’re the one who he’s rooming with? Oh my god.” She took a couple steps away from you and covered her mouth with her hand. 

“He said that he was being considered for an executive position, and that Hatter made him room with someone, but he never told me who! God I’m so sorry,” Kuina said, looking truly apologetic. “Let me take you out for a drink tonight.”

You shook your head, your faint headache serving as a reminder of that morning. “I have a hangover,” you explained at her confused look.

“And I made you spar with me! Some other time then,” Kuina offered. She made a motion like she was looking at a watch, but there was nothing on her wrist. “Look at the time, I have to go!” she said and quickly darted away before you could say anything.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next week, Chishiya didn’t enter the room you shared. You weren’t sure if you were disappointed or relieved. Kuina was true to her word, and brought you to the Beach’s bar a couple days later. She showed up at your room without explanation, and dragged you to the bar.

It was a pleasant experience because Kuina was so nice, but you did notice that she didn’t bring up Chishiya again.

You woke up Tuesday morning to find Chishiya sitting at the office chair where you first met him. You instinctively grabbed blankets to cover yourself but he didn’t turn your way.

Hearing the movement from your bed, Chishiya broke the silence of the morning before you could even process his presence. “I’ve been reading on shooting techniques, and I’ve concluded that without proper time commitment, I am essentially a lost cause.” 

He paused before continuing. “Meeting once a week won’t be suitable for me to become experienced enough to be useful in an actual situation.”

You blinked before the gravity of his words hit you. Chishiya wasn’t acknowledging what had happened last time you met, or Kuina. He was only focused on his ability to learn how to shoot. It was like your feelings didn’t matter, and he only prioritized the amount of time it took for him to become decent with a gun.

“So you want us to meet more frequently,” you said slowly. You weren’t sure if you could handle him in large doses.

To your surprise, Chishiya shook his head. “Only Tuesdays are fine. I would appreciate being able to go in my free time.”

His statement made you more uneasy. The shooting range was only for militants, and Chishiya wasn’t even supposed to have access to guns. He could get you in trouble if he were caught by someone.

“I could tell you when the militants are playing games, but that’s the best I can do for you,” you said.

Chishiya nodded. “That’s more than fine. I’m aware that this is a large ask after the last time we met. If you would let me, instead of meeting to shoot today I’d like to meet with you in the evening at the bar.”

You didn’t want to guess how Chishiya knew that you frequently hung around the bar. Maybe he got the idea from Kuina. You thought that this was another way to express that he felt remorse for his actions, and you weren’t going to deny him the opportunity to buy you a drink.

“I’ll meet you later,” you said, and he walked out of the room.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chishiya stopped by like Kuina, without warning or knocking, and you silently followed him to the bar.

“The usual?” the bartender asked you when you sat down. You nodded at him, and Chishiya said that he would be getting the same.

“How do you know what I’m getting?” you asked Chishiya, wrinkling your brow.

“I don’t.”

You sat in silence before the bartender brought you both your drinks. As you sipped your martini, you felt that it became unbearable. You decided to offer Chishiya a vague explanation.

“When I played the nine of spades, that was my hardest game I’ve ever played. It was how I met Niragi,” you said, and downed your entire drink shortly after. 

Chishiya looked contemplative at what you had just said. “Any game with Niragi would be difficult,” he said dryly, earning a laugh from you.

“Niragi isn’t that bad, he’s just a little dramatic sometimes,” you smiled and ordered another drink from the bartender. You thought fondly of Niragi, but for some reason you hadn’t really run into him recently. Every time you saw him he made weak excuses to go, and he always seemed eager to leave any conversation.

“Is the nine of spades how you got your executive position?” Chishiya asked, abruptly interrupting your train of thought.

You nodded and squeezed your glass nervously. “It was. I don’t know if it was worth the price.”

You fell into silence with Chishiya once more, and the bartender brought over drink after drink. Anytime you were reminded of the nine of spades, you drank more than usual. You talked lightly with Chishiya about your life before the Borderlands, and he didn’t say much. The lack of banter seemed odd.

It was like he became a completely different person overnight.

He was a very good listener, you realized. You became less and less aware of what you were talking about as you drank more. 

You thought that at some point you got up and started walking. You felt a couple pushes of hands steading you. It was like walking through a mirror maze, but less fun. 

Everything blurred together until it was morning again, and you woke up in your room without feeling anything. No nightmares, you thought gratefully. The problem with not having any nightmares was that you had to be practically black-out drunk to achieve it.

But if you were that drunk, somebody had to bring you back. You turned to the right to find Chishiya sleeping in the second bed in your room, his face tranquil and relaxed. 

A/N: I realized this chapter is super long compared to the others!! I actually mapped out the plot chap by chap so now the chapters are going to be longer :)

[drainslo]

Brains & Brawn- Chapter 3: The Bar

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

Chishiya moved in shortly after the deal you struck. Suddenly, half of your closet was populated with white minimalist clothing. The drawers you never used now had male beach shorts, and the bathroom now had double its usual supplies.

You cursed Hatter once more for forcing you into this nightmare. 

Despite Niragi’s mischievous nature, for the first week you holed up in his room. You picked up some sheets and pillows from your room and dragged them outside his door, expecting to sleep on the floor.

“Hey bitch,” Niragi greeted you after you knocked, then his eyes widened when he saw what you were carrying. “Woah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

“What do you think? I’m taking your offer,” you responded and pushed past him into his room.

Niragi gave some weak protests, but he let you walk around and appraise the room. You spread out the sheets on the floor next to his bed and propped up a couple of pillows against a table.

“You think you’re sleeping on my floor? You’re going to get the floor dirty,” Niragi teased. “You can sleep on my bed…”

You groaned outwardly and slapped his arm playfully. Not again. It was bad enough that you had to share a room with Chishiya. You didn’t need Niragi constantly reminding you of it.

“Calm down, I’ll find somewhere else to sleep at night. I’ll make someone wash the sheets and you’re free to stay here as long as you’d like,” Niragi offered. You were faintly surprised at his charitableness. You’d never seen him particularly partial to anyone without reason.

“Thanks Niragi, I don’t know how I can repay you,” you said and flopped back onto his bed in relief. 

“I can think of a couple ways,” Niragi winked and you covered your face with your arms.

“Just get out,” you waved your arms towards him in a dismissive manner.

“Hey, it’s my room,” Niragi murmured but left you alone.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Drink. Now.” You slumped next to Niragi at the Beach’s bar while he was mid-conversation with a pretty woman. She waved at you in acknowledgement but kept the conversation going.

Niragi didn’t seem to notice you were there until the bartender gave you a martini, which you knocked back like it was water.

“(Name)?” Niragi sounded confused until he realized it was you. “What the fuck happened to you?”

He turned away from the woman and now directed his full attention to you. You weren’t surprised. It was barely past mid-day, and you usually didn’t start drinking heavily until it was night time.

“Tuesday happened,” you moaned and Niragi sighed while ordering you another drink.

“What, Chishiya’s bad at fucking?” When Niragi saw that you weren’t laughing, he became serious. “Tell me about it,” he said, in a low voice. 

“God, he’s so insufferable,” was the only thing you said. You reflected on the events of that morning and sighed heavily.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback to earlier that morning....

It had been two weeks since you struck the deal with Chishiya. Technically, you were supposed to help him to shoot the prior week, but you had a game scheduled.

More precisely, you still didn’t want to face him, so you snuck into the executive room and altered the schedule so you would have a game that Tuesday.

You were anticipating a spades game according to the venue description, and luckily it was a low-level one. Thankfully, there were no deaths from your group. The same could not be said for Mira, who had an unusually high mortality rate as an executive.

Somehow, nobody commented on it.

It was Tuesday again, however, and you felt ready to move back into your room. You reasoned with yourself that you weren’t going to let Chishiya’s intrusion on your life stop you from doing anything. You were going to bring him to the training ground, try to help him shoot, and then reclaim your room.

You unlocked the room, not surprised to find Chishiya sitting at your desk. He was fidgeting with screws, and building something you couldn’t exactly see.

You placed your hand over the holster on your waist nervously and stood in front of him. 

“Ready?”

Chishiya didn’t lift his eyes as he spoke. “You weren’t here last Tuesday.”

“I had a game that day. I told you that I wouldn’t come here if I had a game on Tuesday,” you responded.

“Was I supposed to read your mind to find that out?” Chishiya finally looked up at you unamused, and stood up to brush past you.

You followed him out and silently led him to the militant training ground without responding. You glanced behind you from time to time to make sure that he didn’t get lost, but he trailed behind you like a ghost.

The militant training ground was a well-kept secret. Aguni had set it up at your request, and you were the only one who used it frequently. It was a makeshift outdoor shooting range with many targets for you to work on your aim. 

Niragi occasionally came to shoot with you begrudgingly, and Aguni even less so. Still, you always counted on it being empty.

Chishiya pulled the gun he was carrying out of one of his pockets, and scrutinized you. It made you feel a little uncomfortable at how heavy his gaze was.

You locked eyes with him, and nearly blushed. The angle of the sunlight reflected off his brown eyes in a way that they resembled honey. Niragi was right, you realized, Chishiya wasn’t so bad-looking.

“What am I supposed to do?” Chishiya’s voice broke the silence for the first time in a while. You reached into your pocket, pulling out two pairs of earplugs and offered one to him.

“Wear these unless you want to go deaf,” you said, dropping them into his outstretched hand.

“I want you to just shoot those five targets,” you pointed at them across the range. You wanted to see how he would fare. Some people had a natural talent for shooting, but no technique to back it up.

Others were hopeless no matter what you taught them.

Chishiya snorted. “How do you expect me to do that? I have no experience with shooting.”

“Just do it,” you said and watched as he put his earplugs in and drew the gun back.

He shot five times, missing every target but one, which barely hit the white edge of the target.

“Not bad,” you said as he lowered his gun.

“Not bad?” Chishiya’s look was incredulous as he paused to think. “Shooting is much harder than I thought. It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies,” he said finally.

“It could always be worse. I didn’t get any my first time, and see how far I’ve come,” you replied nonchalantly.

“Exactly how far?”

“I used to shoot competitively before– you know– here. I was recruited back in college. I’m a pretty good marksman, but I do prefer pistols. I love to just shoot without having to think.”

You waited an uncomfortable moment for Chishiya to respond. He seemed to be appraising you for some reason. 

“I can see why you’re a spades player,” Chishiya drolly commented. “I suppose that means your physical talent makes up for… other areas.”

The sudden demeaning comment from Chishiya came as a surprise to you. You were having a relatively civil experience with him until he decided to be degrading towards you.

Before you could stop yourself, you retorted, “And I can see why you’re a diamonds player. I suppose your smarts make up for the lack of athletic capability you clearly seem to possess.”

His cool gaze flickered for a moment. “I can clear spades games just fine. How many diamond games have you cleared? None?”

The reality was you only cleared a couple because you went in with someone else who solved it. You weren’t entirely a moron, but diamonds were far from your strong suit.

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction when he saw that you hesitated before responding. “I wonder if you think before shooting. Have you ever accidentally shot someone before?”

Any pleasant feelings you had vanished. How did he know? The familiar feeling of guilt swelled within you. An image of somebody injured, on the ground, with blood spilling from their body. Running away while getting shot at. Nine of Spades flashing on your phone screen. Horrified looks exchanged among players. 

It all was rushing back to you. You needed to get away, to escape. You needed a drink.

“You wouldn’t know fucking anything,” you snarled and left him at the shooting range to find the bar.