Ship: Akashi Seijuurou/Fuji Shuusuke Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis Major Tags: abuse (physical/mental) Other Tags: slavery, mind games Square: negotiations Word Count: 514
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji picks up his fair share of scrapes and bruises in Akashi's slave pen and on the trip back to Akashi's palace, but he's spared the worse of the abuse. He's not stupid; he sees the way the guards come crashing down on any sign of disrespect or insubordination, so he keeps his own head down and doesn't give them any cause to notice him. After all, they're of no interest to him; he has his eyes set much higher. Even when the captain of Akashi's personal guard yanks him back by the hair, sneers, and asks how someone as intelligent as he is rumored to be could have done something so stupid as to trade himself for a lowly knight of no special import or talent, he doesn't react. He holds his tongue, takes Aomine's stinging slap across his face, and adds the slight to Yuuta to the growing list of things he will hold Akashi accountable for. The guards and their fists don't scare him; he avoids drawing their attention as much as possible, and lets their words and blows roll off when he can't.
The emperor is another story entirely. Everyone knows about the hypnotic power of his eyes, and Fuji knows that the prospect of having an alleged spymaster in his clutches will be too tempting for Akashi to pass up. He spends every free moment he has shoring up his mind palace against the inevitable assault. It doesn't need to be a complicated palace. He's not trying to hold onto a complex cover story or false identity; he just needs to keep the information he's willing to let Akashi see separate from that he isn't, and he needs to do so smoothly enough that Akashi never has cause to suspect the deception and dig deeper. It's a delicate sort of negotiation, giving up enough that Akashi believes he has the upper hand, but not so much that Fuji blows his own cover. And of course it's all for naught if his mind palace crumbles against the power of the Emperor Eye.
The assault comes without warning, and sooner than Fuji had suspected. Akashi seeks him out one morning and hooks a hand under his chin. He barely has time to wall off his mind before he's looking right into the hypnotic flames of Akashi's eyes. His mental fortress does nothing against the hold Akashi's eyes have over his body, and he falls to his knees at Akashi's command, but his mind palace holds. When Akashi questions him, everything he's left out in the open spills forth like an open book, but everything he's locked away behind doors remains untouched.
When Akashi finally releases him, he's confident that he's given nothing away he didn't intend to, but only time will tell if it will be enough. He has his sights set on a position in Akashi's inner circle, but convincing Akashi to bring him there will be a long and complicated dance of subtle redirection and unspoken nudges. It's a non-traditional form of negotiation, but one where Fuji excels.
FILL: Team Imaizumi Shunsuke/Kinjou Shingo, B1, T
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis
Major Tags: abuse (physical/mental)
Other Tags: slavery, mind games
Square: negotiations
Word Count: 514
Emperor-slave AU
***
Fuji picks up his fair share of scrapes and bruises in Akashi's slave pen and on the trip back to Akashi's palace, but he's spared the worse of the abuse. He's not stupid; he sees the way the guards come crashing down on any sign of disrespect or insubordination, so he keeps his own head down and doesn't give them any cause to notice him. After all, they're of no interest to him; he has his eyes set much higher. Even when the captain of Akashi's personal guard yanks him back by the hair, sneers, and asks how someone as intelligent as he is rumored to be could have done something so stupid as to trade himself for a lowly knight of no special import or talent, he doesn't react. He holds his tongue, takes Aomine's stinging slap across his face, and adds the slight to Yuuta to the growing list of things he will hold Akashi accountable for. The guards and their fists don't scare him; he avoids drawing their attention as much as possible, and lets their words and blows roll off when he can't.
The emperor is another story entirely. Everyone knows about the hypnotic power of his eyes, and Fuji knows that the prospect of having an alleged spymaster in his clutches will be too tempting for Akashi to pass up. He spends every free moment he has shoring up his mind palace against the inevitable assault. It doesn't need to be a complicated palace. He's not trying to hold onto a complex cover story or false identity; he just needs to keep the information he's willing to let Akashi see separate from that he isn't, and he needs to do so smoothly enough that Akashi never has cause to suspect the deception and dig deeper. It's a delicate sort of negotiation, giving up enough that Akashi believes he has the upper hand, but not so much that Fuji blows his own cover. And of course it's all for naught if his mind palace crumbles against the power of the Emperor Eye.
The assault comes without warning, and sooner than Fuji had suspected. Akashi seeks him out one morning and hooks a hand under his chin. He barely has time to wall off his mind before he's looking right into the hypnotic flames of Akashi's eyes. His mental fortress does nothing against the hold Akashi's eyes have over his body, and he falls to his knees at Akashi's command, but his mind palace holds. When Akashi questions him, everything he's left out in the open spills forth like an open book, but everything he's locked away behind doors remains untouched.
When Akashi finally releases him, he's confident that he's given nothing away he didn't intend to, but only time will tell if it will be enough. He has his sights set on a position in Akashi's inner circle, but convincing Akashi to bring him there will be a long and complicated dance of subtle redirection and unspoken nudges. It's a non-traditional form of negotiation, but one where Fuji excels.