Guns 'N Tentacles [Yoshida x GunFiendAki]

[CRYBABY]

Things are different now. The world felt different to Aki, the breeze against his skin no longer chilled him the same way, as he seemed to always be rather cold, the birds chirping overhead sounded like a far away echo, and although he could see perfectly fine there seemed to be a sort of tunnel vision as if he were constantly looking through a telescope. That was fine. This was fine. He couldn’t quite place why these sensations felt both familiar yet somewhat foreign since this is all he knew, and yet there was a little voice in the back of his mind telling him things weren’t always this way. Hmm. Whatever.

He had come to be just as all Fiends did. His corpse overrun by a devil, in his case Aki Hayakawa was fused with the gun devil, a cruel joke on his life given that he spent it trying to eradicate this enemy that destroyed his family. But such is life. It wasn’t like there was much of human-Aki left to be perturbed by this, anyway.

He didn’t sleep that night, like many nights he just laid awake in bed, tossing and turning until he decided to stare at the ceiling or go for a night time walk. Which was difficult to do considering the company he was forced to keep. He had a keeper, of all things, as if his current situation wasn’t enough of a hassle, just add on a brat he was tied to. Again, whatever, it was fine. Aki was nothing but a killing machine for the Devil Hunters. Thanks to Her. Heh, the irony grows.

Regardless, he got up and showered early that morning, getting ready for the day ahead. He made toast with jam and coffee, arranged the meal on the table and awaited his guard. Simple gestures such as prepping meals for someone he clearly didn’t care for might seem odd to just any observer, but this was a part of human-Aki that surfaced every once in a while and made him feel good with a tinge of sadness. Sad for what, he couldn’t place, perhaps he longed for some domesticity to fill the constant emptiness.

[DirtyDeku]

It was a shame. Really, it was. Aki had been hardworking and had a pretty straightforward goal, yet he'd been burned again and again despite doing what was right. Perhaps he had his head screwed on too well, cared too much what happened to others. Mourned deeply for those he lost, wished it had been him who died over and over again. He knew the stakes and still braved the Gun Devil's wrath. Had he been too sane? Not sane enough? Did he have too much to lose and nothing to gain? Yoshida wasn't sure he'd ever know, and really, it wasn't his mistake to bear the weight of. Aki made his choice and he was stuck with the consequences.

It wasn't that Yoshida didn't care.

...

Okay, perhaps it was sort of that Yoshida didn't care. He'd gone from a Private Hunter to working under Makima's gaze and he wasn't particularly thrilled about it. He didn't hate Aki-- he just didn't know anything about him besides what he could deduce from actions and the word of others. Although he seemed to be quite reasonable and perhaps normal, Yoshida was anything but. Kids his age should be worried about getting their driver's licenses or how much homework they had to do last minute, not whether they would die and get smeared all over a major road like a meat crayon. Yoshida thrived in this sort of environment. He enjoyed when it was difficult, when it took longer, when he went home with Devil blood caked in his hair and covering his skin in thin flakes. He got a kick out of provoking his fellow Private Hunters, not minding whatever repercussions came out of it. He was manipulative first and foremost, slipping out of any tight spaces just like his beloved Octopus.

He should be used to routine by now, juggling his studies alongside his job, but he much preferred being on-call over showing up every morning to more or less babysit a Fiend. As much as he was humiliating Aki by being his babysitter, he supposes that he was getting what the other felt before all of this transpired. At least Aki wasn't outwardly an idiot. Well... not in the way Denji or Power were, anyways. Having a concrete goal always seems to lead downhill, though. Yoshida suspects that's why he's never had much of an issue so far, on top of his lack of morals.

On four out of five weekdays, his shift began after school. On Friday, though, he got the day off before arriving to Aki's place early in the morning on Saturday. He stayed until Monday morning. Like a weekend sleepover but... well, not particularly fun. Not for Aki, at least, though what Yoshida took away from his talks with everyone else was that he hadn't been particularly joyful before becoming a Fiend anyways. Not as irritable now, more solemn and wishful for things to go back to however they were before. So sad without any memories of why. Yoshida didn't understand why they didn't put him out of his misery and do away with the Gun Devil's remnants, but it wasn't his place to argue. Whatever Makima said to do, lest he end up brainwashed like the rest of her lackeys.

Like usual, he had the courtesy to knock before using his key to let himself in. He wouldn't care if he saw Aki doing anything particularly saucy, but giving him the option to at least cover up was better than barging in without a care in the world. Something about encouraging him to hold onto any human emotions and behaviors, as if somebody with the barrel of a gun sticking out of their face should align themselves with society. He toes his shoes off at the door before venturing further inside to find Aki, seeming to be amused when he realizes what the other has spent his morning doing. "You know, I can't help but wonder if you do this for the others that fill in for me when I'm at school."

[CRYBABY]

It really was a shame what was left of Aki's life, as if the life he lived before was any more substantial, but at least back then he could make his own decisions–or allowed to believe he could. He chose to become a Devil Hunter, he chose to follow orders, and he chose to hunt the Gun Devil no matter how many times he was advised against it. All choices that lead him to his current timeline. Sitting mindlessly at the table waiting to follow orders once again.

Some would say that Aki as a Fiend wasn’t much different than Aki as a human, though it was arguable that those people hadn’t known pre-Aki too well. He had always been aloof, quiet, irritable, obedient, but there was a side of pre-Aki that was playful, funny, happy. A side of him that despite the hardships he had to endure saw the dim light in a very dark world. That part of him was reserved for a select few, to which only one still walked this Earth, a fact that caused a rather large ache in his heart. He now just appeared solemn as if all desire and will had been sucked dry. That wasn’t too far off from the truth, anyway.

Aki’s head tilted toward the door when he heard knocking, assuming it was Yoshida he didn’t bother getting up to answer it knowing that the younger male wouldn’t hesitate letting himself in. He didn’t bother turning to look at Yoshida when the other commented on his morning activities, instead he shook his head taking a long sip from his coffee cup. “Special treatment, just for you.” It was true that Aki only prepared these little meals for Yoshida, though the Fiend wasn’t quite sure in his reasoning seeing as he swore he hated the kid, but he couldn’t deny the warmth he felt whenever Yoshida seemingly enjoyed whatever little treat Aki gave him.

[DirtyDeku]

He was in his first year of high school when he met the Octopus Devil. Skipping school was nothing new, not that his grades reflected such-- he was always at the top of his class. Whether he was genuinely a master at everything he did or manipulated his way to the top among his peers or teachers was questionable at best, not that it mattered. Those things never made it to his parents. He was in the pocket of every staff member before he even enrolled, slipping in and out of marital beds of like an eel.

An abandoned public pool was the perfect place for kids who would rather be smoking pot and going down on their boyfriends, yet this particular hangout spot had been left alone for months. He had let himself in through an unlocked door, a dozen or so flies buzzing around, swiftly swatted away with his hand. It didn't take particularly long to figure out why the spot had been abandoned, a likewise dozen bodies floating in the disused pool. He recognized two upperclassman that had gone missing not even three days before, their discolored bodies and relaxed-- though, really, they looked horrified-- faces piquing his interest. He had gotten closer, considering whether or not he'd mention finding them. He'd certainly have to up his ante to avoid ending up on the news or being questioned about his absence from class. As he weighed his options, he allowed his gaze to wander.

- - -

Had he been raised with such upstanding parents that acting out was the only way for him to vent his frustrations, his morbid curiosities, his blooming sexuality? He supposed that could have been a lot of his reasoning for the way he was, but he didn't hold any resentment towards his folks. In fact, he made every effort to keep his devious behavior out of their bubble. If he wasn't home on time, he always called and promised he was staying at a friend's to help them study. If he skipped class, the call to home never happened. His report cards were immaculate every single time. His teachers never had anything bad to say, fearful that their little secrets could be given up at any time if they displeased him.

What of his taste in men, then? Had he been abused by an older relative? The answer to that was no, as well. If his father propositioned him he would consider, weighing what he gained and what he could potentially lose. The same went with his mother, though his attraction was strictly male. Sex with a woman was nice, of course, and a good way to get what he wanted-- but he much preferred the appearance of men. The older, the better, but he didn't turn his nose up at those who may have just graduated high school, weren't even sure whether college was their best interest. Aki was older than that, of course, but he was remarkably young for somebody who held so much trauma. Photos of him before the Gun Devil took his body weren't something to scoff at, though Yoshida much preferred him without the topknot. It was distracting, to say the least.

At least his taste was normal in that regard.

- - -

Further down towards the deep end, a bloated body floated face-up. Having long been stripped of the majority of its clothing, scraps of torn clothing clung to it, steeped in the filthy water and discolored by decomposition. Yoshida was further entranced by it immediately, circling the corner and striding towards it with a fascination he seldom experienced. As he drew closer, he could see the face-- tongue and lips swollen, eyes bulging and clouded over, a deep red residue caked around the mouth and inside the nostrils. Its skin was mostly a deep, nauseating green with dark purple mottling. His gaze moved from its face down to his stomach, engorged with decomposition and gas, thin superficial layers of skin peeling up and bunching up in sheets, down to what little bit of the thighs and genitalia still floated above the water. The testicles were easily two or three times their usual size, the same mottled color in a suspiciously round pattern, the penis being mostly similar, albeit not as swollen as the testicles. Gaseous build-up-- he'd figured that out pretty quickly-- once he had sunken the tip of his pocket knife's blade into the skin.

The immediate odor was enough to make his eyes water and sting, notably contradicting the increased salivation he had been keeping remarkably hidden. He couldn't help his fascination with the things society wrote off as taboo, really, but he could at least pretend he was disgusted. It wasn't like he was new to deceiving people. His folks were surprisingly upstanding people, so it's not like he had any particular reason to be the way he was, he just... was. Sometimes a completely normal family has an outlier and they have to deal with it. At least Yoshida isn't making life hard for them specifically, other than making them worry when he gets injured.

The gas releasing sent ripples across the surface of the water, disturbing the Devil that lurked underneath. The end of a giant tentacle surfaced, squirming in on itself for a moment before several more tentacles breached and moved towards Yoshida, as if they were able to see. It wasn't out of the question, really-- the majority of people scared by cephalopods saw tentacles before mantles.

"Come to test your abilities, have you?" The Devil's voice rumbled from the depths, to which Yoshida let out an amused breath.

"Only if you get in my way."

The once-squirming Devil pauses briefly, as if considering the best course of action. Yoshida likewise paused, his pocket knife still in his hand. The silence might have been deafening if his heart hadn't been racing, but not for the reason one might think. Eventually, the Devil's squirming began once more, notably more relaxed. "What, then, have you come here to do?"

"At first? Just to waste time. But now? I have every intention of getting my rocks off."

Apparently baffled, the Devil pointed a tentacle towards the bloated body.

"Yes, to that."

"Humans become stranger every century."

"Mmhmm," Yoshida hummed, leaning forward to drag the tip of his knife across the corpse's engorged stomach. It didn't take an enormous amount of pressure to cut into the body, causing what remained of the small intestines and liquefied organs to ooze out. His free hand cupped the front of his pants, squeezing his erection with a shaking exhale. The smell that caused his eyes to water earlier was now intensified several hundred times, evoking an audible gag upon his next inhale. Despite this, he ventured on, splitting the gut open down to the pelvis before setting the soiled knife down next to him.

"Mmm, before I get ahead of myself though," He begins to undo his fly, "Make a contract with me, I'll get you out of here."

- - -

...Okay, perhaps his taste in men could be absolutely fucking wild at times. The barrel of a gun sticking out of somebody's face is practically as tame as it can get. Besides being a Fiend now, Aki was considered conventionally attractive, so it's the closest Yoshida has gotten to pursuing somebody deemed socially acceptable. That blonde kid Aki used to live with was closer in age to him and honestly pretty cute, but alas, he was more interested in chasing women. Yoshida would get his hands on Denji someday, but today was not that day. Unluckily for Aki, he happened to be easier access at the moment, so he would have to suffice.

Not that Yoshida is disappointed about Aki being the closest-- it was hardly fair to say easiest, Aki could turn him into mashed beets in a moments notice. The thrill of one misstep spelling his doom was enough to keep him interested. His past hookups failed to bring that sort of danger, as interesting as they were. Well, the time he got sick after sucking a maggot out of a dead man's cock and sucking on it until it burst, gushing rot and decay which he swallowed down greedily got pretty close... but he recovered, so it hardly counts.

"How domestic." He approaches the table, intending to sit down and eat, but not without trailing his fingertips over the firing hammer on the back of Aki's head and forward down to where the barrel begun. The hair parts just enough for him to see where metal and flesh meet, and he observes for just long enough to be uncomfortable before sitting across from the Fiend. Understanding Aki's new anatomy might have an advantage if anything went awry, but it wasn't Yoshida's foremost intention. It may not even be useful, the Gun Devil was coveted for a reason, and a good one at that. Power. Ferocity. Hedonistic joy when killing.

Sitting across from the Gun Devil had never crossed his mind before, but considering how casually he tucks into the meal prepared for him, he hardly considers it a problem. He's already made the interaction uncomfortable, set Aki off-balance. Perhaps it would lead to something interesting, maybe it would be another day spent looking after somebody who missed people he couldn't remember the faces of, somebody who had hurt somebody he loved dearly. Perhaps he'd bring photos of Denji with him next time, tease the Fiend, coax emotions besides a somber quietness.

He really shouldn't be trusted to keep people safe.