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Published:
2025-10-29
Updated:
2025-11-17
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3/?
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What Doesn't Kill You || Janka Role Reversal AU

Summary:

Being with the cleaners never made him any less weird.

(Based on the Au by Detrietus on X)

Notes:

Hello there! As you maybe saw in the description, this fic was inspired/based on the role reversal Au by Detrietus (on X). Some of the scenes are completely based on fanarts by them, but I also incorporated my own story and some scenes from the canon. Whatever this mess is, I hope you enjoy it :D Also, do be mindfull that english is not my first language.

Chapter 1: Jabber. Jabber Wonger.

Chapter Text

“And this is Jabber. Jabber Wonger” Enjin introduced the newly arrived spherite, Rudo. The kid with the white, faded black hair looked up at the new face he just got to know.

“He's insane. A little bit fucked in the head, but he'll be a great teacher. He knows his vital object better than anyone else, and could help you understand yours” the older one explained. Rudo was still too quiet, not able to trust anyone fully, especially not a cleaner with the face of a psychopath.

“So you're the spherite~ I've never seen one alive” Jabber squatted to be at his height, which Rudo found kind of insulting, and Enjin kind of endearing.

“Don't scare him, Jab. He's already been through enough. I'll leave you two to bond like teacher and student. Have fun” Enjin left, and Rudo looked back at the guy with the long dreads and red eyes.

“Show me, kiddo. Your vital object. Enjin mentioned something about a “diamond in the rough””

Rudo extended his hands, covered in thick leather gloves that seemed too big for his thin arms. Jabber wanted to grab them to take a better look, but Rudo refused, taking them away immediately.

“Ah, I see. Still don't trust me… Fine. I'll show you my vital object first” Jabber said proudly, and Rudo watched amused as his ten rings transformed into long, metal claws. This was supposed to help him trust more…? It just made him seem more threatening.

“See? Nothing to worry about. Now it's your turn”

Rudo took a step back, and looked at the older one with a frown. Jabber raised an eyebrow and then sighed. He would have to put in more effort to connect with this kid. Neither of them were especially eager to bond.

“Go rest, kid. Tomorrow you'll come with me to your first mission as my student.”

(...)

“So? How'd it go?” Enjin asked when he walked into the room. Jabber was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, while Riyo was sitting on the sofa, playing with his hair. She really enjoyed doing hairstyles with his long dreadlocks. Putting jewelry on them, tying them up in buns, re-twisting them. And it didn't bother him at all. It took so long for him to get used to this kind of friendly contact.

“The kid don't like me, and I don't really like him either,” he answered, without even looking.

“Oh, come on, Jab. You still have a chance to be friends with him tomorrow. He could also gain some confidence by fighting some easy trash beasts.”

Jabber sighed, and finally looked at Enjin when he sat by his side on the floor.

“He's just like you when you first came here”

Jabber looked confused. And they sat in silence for a couple of seconds.

“What do you mean?”

“When the boss offered that you stay here and work with us as a cleaner, you also didn't trust anyone. You couldn't open up for months. Hiding in your room as soon as the mission was over, refusing to eat with us, to come to parties… And look at you now. You have this adorable haircare ritual with Riyo” Enjin explained, and Jabber finally understood what he meant. He was right. It could take a couple of months for the newbie to get along with everyone else, but it would be worthwhile.

“I get it… I'll try harder. There's gotta be some way to make him trust me.”

Enjin pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and Jabber hesitated before taking one out. Enjin made a little signal with his hand, and they both got up.

“Ow~ You're gonna leave me to go smoke with him?” Riyo complained, sad about not finishing his hairstyle. Now Jabber was rocking a half-up, even if it wasn't “finished”.

“Yeah, sorry, I'll be back.”

They walked outside and sat on a bench together. Jabber took out a lighter from one of the pockets in his cleaner uniform, and they both lit up their cigarettes in the small flame.

“You know I don't smoke if it's not with you” Jabber said with a smile. It was different from his usual bloodthirsty smile.

“You should show Rudo this smile. It's nice” Enjin said, and Jabber got shy, a little bit flustered.

“Smoking isn't enough… I want to fight.”

“I can't fight right now, Jab. Let's just enjoy this moment and go to sleep. You need to be well-rested for tomorrow”

Jabber whined, sad that Enjin refused his proposal. Fighting him was always so much fun, he didn't hold back. Everyone in the team knew just how much Jabber could take, so none of them ever held back during training, fighting like they were trying to kill each other.

“Don't get grumpy. Tomorrow could be fun.” Enjin encouraged him. Jabber slowly exhaled the smoke through his mouth, relaxing.

“You're right. I'm gonna show Rudo what I can do” Jabber said determined, and put out the cigarette by pressing it against his hand.

“Jesus Christ, dude” Enjin laughed.

Chapter 2: Sadism Meets Masochism

Summary:

Jabber's untamed masochism finally encounters a worthy opponent

Notes:

Hi! Just wanted to note that some of the dialogue is taken directly from fanart by Detrietus (on X). Please go follow them, and also follow me at @mabelspancakes :) I make fanart sometimes

Anyways, enjoy Jabber getting beaten to a pulp

Chapter Text

“What? A trash beast in the city?” Jabber asked Semiu, confused and alarmed. This was supposed to be an easy mission, just hard enough for him to show off and get Rudo to open up.

“If it's true, Rudo should stay here” Enjin talked, calmer than Jabber.

“No, he should go with you. They said the trash beast took a merchant's cargo with it into an abandoned building, including a live, breathing spherite” Semiu explained, and everyone gasped.

“Another one… like me?” Rudo whispered to himself.

“Fine. He'll come with you. This is perfect to be his first mission, actually” Enjin added, and looked at Jabber. They both agreed. If everything worked out fine, they could fight a trash beast and help Rudo. “I'll stay here. I trust in you, Jab.”

“Two birds. One stone” There it was, his usual, creepy smile.

(...)

“Here it is, this is the building” The merchant pointed. Said merchant was a young woman, who appeared out of nowhere, scaring them. But they followed her to the creepy building that, by the looks of it, wouldn't be surprising if it was hunted.

Everyone had their guard up when they entered the building, but it seemed… suspiciously empty. If a trash beast was roaming there, the noise would be deafening.

“Hurry! Hurry up! The spherite, he's right there!” The woman screamed, pushing everyone forward. They tried to stop her, but suddenly the floor melted under them like mud, and they fell through to another room, a basement. Jabber knew immediately; Enjin wasn't here, and that made him the only trained giver in the team. He was in charge now, and it was his responsibility to protect the team, to protect Rudo.

“Go find an exit, and take Rudo with you!” Jabber commanded, and everyone else ran in the same direction. This was obviously a trap, and they fell right into it, literally. He would stay back and fight while everyone else got to safety.

“Where's the spherite? Hand him over, or I'll just kill you to get to him” He heard a voice, and quickly activated his vital object. His claws.

“Oh, that purple light… I know your kind better than you think. You're a raider” Jabber said with a smile, showing off his claws proudly.

“Just piss off and hand over the spherite, this doesn't have to hurt… unless you want it to” the raider threatened. Everyone in the raiders was a giver, and this one had a simple vital object that seemed pathetic to Jabber. A stick, curved on one end. Blue and metallic, but apparently very lightweight.

“Don't tempt me now, you sadist. Now go down easy, alright?”

Jabber launched at him, using the walls to climb and attack at different angles. The raider used his vital object to block his attacks. It was long enough that Jabber couldn't get closer. He just needed to scratch him lightly for his poison to work, but it was harder than he thought.

He cut one of the pillars in the basement into slices with his claws, and kicked them at the raider with the two-color hair. He blocked every piece, spinning his stick at a speed that was hard to follow even for Jabber, transforming it into a sort of shield.

“Is that all you can do? I ain't even moved yet” The raider said with a bored expression, as Jabber jumped from a pillar to another, using his claws to hook into the concrete.

“You're boring as fuck… Just blocking my attacks. I thought you were down to clown, but you're all bark and no bite”

“I'll show you bite if that's what you want” The raider positioned himself to attack, and Jabber launched at him once again. He landed with both feet into the other's vital instrument, ready to kick it out of his hands. But instead, he was suddenly flying off towards a wall, and crashed into it with enough force to crack it.

“Agh!!”

He used a few seconds to analyze what just happened, while he tried his hardest to recover. The young giver had trapped him with the curve in his vital instrument, and sent him flying off in a split second.

“That was… so cool~” He moaned, smiling and wiping the blood off his lips.

“Don't underestimate us normal folks, genius” The raider talked, approaching Jabber with slow steps, without a worry in the world.

“The name's Jabber Wonger”

“Zanka. Nijiku Zanka. Get up, I ain’t done with you”

Jabber pulled himself up back on his feet, and looked at the other with defiance. His heart was rushing, his legs shaking, he felt lightheaded. It had been a long time since he encountered a worthy opponent. An actual opponent, not just training with his friends back at cleaners’ headquarters.

“Let's rip each other to pieces, Zanka!” he screamed, and ran towards him in a rush of adrenaline.

Zanka continued to block his attacks by hitting him with his vital object, and Jabber continued trying to get close enough to use his poison. Just one tiny scratch, that would be enough.

In one of his many attempts, Zanka put him against a wall, pinned with his vital instrument, and too far away for his claws to reach. Jabber laughed, out of pure excitement and adrenaline.

“Fine! You got me~”

“No, I'm not done yet” Zanka said, and activated an attack that Jabber could not foresee. Multiple spikes went directly through his body in a matter of seconds, and he started spitting out blood.

It felt delicious.

“A-agh!! Shit… Ugh!! That hurts!! Hurts so good!!”

Zanka freed him, letting his body fall limp to the ground. Assuming he wouldn't be able to get back up, that he would just die there.

“Your vital instrument ain't worth shit if a guy with a stick can beat your ass this bad” Zanka said, and just walked away. He still had to go get the spherite before him and the cleaners left.

Jabber laid there for a couple of minutes, and eventually regained enough strength in his arms to lightly inject some poison in his own neck. He had developed a resistance to his own poison, from many months of accidentally and, or purposely stabbing himself. This resistance meant he could use poison as a sedative. It wouldn't knock him out like his opponents, just make the pain go away.

He spent the next half-hour or so on the floor, pressing onto his wounds trying to stop the bleeding.

“Jabber! Oh my God! Thank goodness you're okay. We're gonna take you to Eisha as soon as possible” Tomme reassured him when she found him. Jabber looked horrible, but felt amazing.

“Don't worry, I can walk just fine. I used my left claws. Is Rudo okay?”

“Dammit, Jabber! Eisha told you to stop using poison on yourself… Rudo is fine. The raider with the stick was about to get away with him, but Enjin and the others stopped him.”

Tomme began to give him first aid, bandaging his wounds and putting pressure on them to stop the bleeding. The supporters were so important to the team… He had underestimated them once, for not being givers, but never again.

They got Jabber outside of the building, and helped him get into one of the cars. He was still bleeding, but acting like nothing had happened. He looked… Happy.

“God~ It's been ages since I had a beating that delicious~” He laughed, and everyone else looked at him with concern, except Enjin, who was used to his bullshit.

“That raider with that fuckass bowlcut, he beat me down so hard, I could tell he wasn't holding back at all. He gave me the worst beatdown I've had in ages. God, I'm so hard right now, I-”

“Jab, shut your freaky ass up and let me drive in peace!”

Chapter 3: Recovering

Notes:

I really want to write more "slice of life" kinda scenes with Jabber and the cleaners. I think his relationship with everyone is so cuteeee
Also I love all your comments, I'm so glad you're enjoying this as much as I am!
Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Text

Jabber continued rambling on and on about the raider he encountered. Even though he said the poison had no other effect but to numb his pain, it did make him talk like he was drugged. Or maybe that was just him being excited.

He received treatment from Eisha back at the headquarters, and finally calmed down a little. Even for someone with so much energy, it would run out eventually after such a draining fight.

“Let me get back to my room, I want to jerk off” Jabber mumbled, his eyes half closed and lost.

“Shut the hell up, we were worried about you” Enjin reprimanded him.

“Eishia, shock me again, please” Jabber said, and Enjin felt the urge to punch him for his behavior, but that would be like a reward.

“Give me your rings” Enjin said, and Jabber looked genuinely scared for the first time in a long, long time. Closed his fists tightly in fight or flight mode.

“What?” He asked in disbelief.

“You need to stay in bed and rest for a while. Eisha's treatment was good, but you're not fully recovered. I know you better than I wish I did, and I know you will get out there looking for a fight as soon as you can. So, if you don't have your vital instrument, you can't get too far.”

“No! Fuck you, Enjin! You can't take ‘em away from me, I ain't a fucking child!”

“Then you need to promise you'll stay home and rest. We'll handle the next few missions, and once you’re recovered you may come with us again” Enjin said, and Jabber went silent. He didn't want to go back to the ball of rage and angst he once was. He wouldn't let his emotions take over again.

“Yeah, it's alright… I get it” Jabber concluded with a sigh, looking longingly at the ceiling.

(...)

“It’s a miracle you haven’t run away to pick-up girls at the bar, it’s been at least a couple of weeks” Gris told Enjin with a scolding tone to his voice, while they both walked down the empty halls of the headquarters. It was strangely peaceful once everyone was asleep, and there hadn't been any parties since Rudo’s “welcome to the ground” party.

“I’m just… I’m not in the mood. I’ve been worried about Jab” the taller one confessed. Gris was damn right, the night was perfect to go out, get some drinks, flirt with a hot girl, take her to a motel, leave before she wakes up. But surprisingly, he had more in his mind this time.

“What exactly are you worried about?” Gris questioned him, trying to get him to rationalize his anxiety until it went away. The two men stopped outside the supporter’s room, not ready to say goodbye just yet.

“He's… Reckless. If he actually likes that raider, he won’t let anything, nor anyone, stop him from getting him. And raiders are… Dangerous, to say the least. I know Jabber is strong, and too damn persistent to die… But still, he’s mortal like the rest of us.”

They both kept quiet for a moment, for different reasons. Gris completely understood Enjin’s concern. After all, being a leader was a great responsibility, oftentimes too difficult to bear.

“We could go in my room together, have a drink, smoke a cig” Enjin offered, and Gris subtly pouted his lips, with a mix of disappointment and doubt. Any other day he would’ve said yes with no hesitation, but tonight was different. He could see right through him, his intentions. If he agreed to go to his room, they would have a couple of shots, talk and laugh for a bit, then they’d have sex, and Gris would pretend to sleep while Enjin smoked at the edge of the bed, and by tomorrow morning they both would pretend like nothing ever happened. He was not about to be a replacement for the random girl he couldn’t pick up at the bar.

“Nah, I’m good. I need some rest. See you tomorrow, Enjin.”

He closed the door behind him, and could hear the other sigh before walking off to his own dorm.

“See you.”

(...)

“He actually was pretty cute, though” Riyo agreed with an unsure compliant smile, holding Jabber’s right hand softly to paint his nails a deep purple color. She saw how sad Jabber was after getting scolded by Enjin that afternoon, and decided to cheer him up with a sleepover. The taller one had a lot to get off his system.

“That’s what I’m sayin’!” Jabber exclaimed. No one else agreed that the blue-eyed raider was actually really attractive, but he was so sure everyone knew in secret, and were too afraid to admit it because he was a raider. Riyo actually disagreed too, but tried to play along. His teammate needed it.

“So… Do you like… Like him?” Riyo inquired, and Jabber thought about it for a brief moment.

“I don’t know… I just want to fight him again”

“Then what’s with all this talk about ‘oh he’s so cute, so strong, I can’t stop thinking about him!’?” Riyo argued, and Jabber simply groaned in response. By that point, Riyo had finished painting all his nails with the dark purple color he liked, and felt satisfied watching him admire his own hands.

“Thanks, Riyo… For listening to me” he spoke with sincerity.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I’m not the kind to be into ‘boys talk’, but I’m always here for you”

They smiled at each other, and Jabber got up to leave. He needed to get back to his room and have some rest.

“So, what are you gonna do? About that raider, I mean” She asked.

“Beat him, obviously.”

(...)

“Zanka, the boss is calling” He heard the soft voice of Cthoni right behind him, startling him. Her power allowed her to sneak around enemies, which was useful, but also kind of annoying when they were at the base.

“You need a bell or something” He said, and ignored Cthoni for a few seconds, thinking about what could the boss possibly want from him. His last mission was not entirely successful, since he couldn’t take Rudo, but he did kill a cleaner, the one with the claws.

“You're thinking about him” She said, and Zanka stayed silent. She was right, but… It was not like that.

“He was disgusting” Zanka whispered to himself. Once he finally got up to go talk to the boss, Cthoni disappeared as she usually did.

“Did ya call me, Sir?” He entered the room, already annoyed at the idea of going on another mission, but also hoping for a chance to redeem himself.

“I have a job for you, Zanka. I need you to go to a no man’s land…”