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When Darkwick allows you to choose one of the houses to join, how will they convince you?
Inspired by this ask/post.
Frostheim
“Wait,” Jin grunts at you as you approach the door, done with his errands for the day. He tosses something at you which you barely manage to catch. When you do, you recognize the deep blue pin. “You’d be set for life with the connections you make here. Choose wisely.” Jin is a man of few words, but you’d hear most of Frostheim’s pitch from Kaito who basically begs you to join them. Lucas would come with a few logical points about why you should choose Frostheim, and Tohma would keep you so busy with tasks, you wouldn’t be able to visit other houses during your decision period.
Vagastrom “It’ll be pretty cool if we lived a little closer together, Senpai. I’ll cook for you every day.” Sho is the only one who’d want you at Vagastrom. Alan gives you a stern warning not to do something so dangerous. Leo’s existence alone convinces you to stay far away.
JabberwockThey use their fluffy animals to their full advantage. Haru takes you on a Cappybus tour to see all the cutest animals while Towa engulfs you in the most fragrant flowers. Ren might actually beg you to join them too since you are actually willing to do the chores. Towa gives you such a puppy look while Haru discreetly pins the orange brooch onto your lapel. Peekaboo lets out the saddest “Booo” when you leave for the day. How can you ever refuse them?
SinostraRomeo had given Taiga a lecture on their objective just before you were scheduled to meet them, so the captain actually remembers who you are when you walk in. “Hello, Kitten,” he purrs as you come in with some documents. He somehow gets you strapped into his torture chair and is about to stab the brooch into your jacket when Romeo bursts in. “You’re supposed to convince her, not force her!” “Why? It’s so much easier this way.” Taiga spins his revolver before placing it on your temple. Ritsu steps in at this moment to quote some law that no one is really paying attention to. Taiga and Romeo get into such an argument that no one notices you slipping away and running for your life.
Hotarubi
The three invite you over for tea. At the end of it, Subaru presents you with the amethyst brooch in an intricately carved wooden box. “We would love it if you would join Hotarubi, PC. Of course, we want you to make the decision you believe is best for you, but you should know you are always welcomed and appreciated here.” As Haku walks you home, he purposefully takes a scenic route through Hotarubi. He’d gently pitch his own house but reminds you they are here for you no matter what decision you make.
ObscuaryWas unfortunately not one of the options available to you. Rui is quite relieved though. He isn’t sure how he can live constantly worried about touching something as weak as a human. He also knows he could never live with himself if something happened to you, and the risk of it increases so much more if you stayed in his dorm. Lyca is completely bummed though. He thought he had a chance to finally have a friend at the dorm. He does not understand why you can’t stay at Obscuary since he’s here and he’s human too. Ed thinks it’s a shame, but he is sure you’d visit often still.
Mortkranken“Humph! You should feel honored to even be considered joining Mortkranken,” Yuri gloats, dangling the brooch in front of you. “He desperately wants you to join,” Jiro deadpans. “Jiro! Can you shut it! I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you did since you are a very interesting subject.” Yuri’s blush isn’t fooling anyone as he shoves the teal accessory into your hands. Despite his shyness, he still keeps you around for another three hours helping him pipette. As you get ready to leave, he calls your name. “Consider it. You… You aren’t repulsive, at least.”
A/N: Thank you to those who sent in prompts. I'm sorry if I don't get to yours, but I will only be writing those that spark an idea. I don't want to write something bleh just to fulfill an ask. Thank you for your submission though!
How would the ghouls react to PC wearing their dorm uniform ? I've thought about this too much for my own good. No pressure
Thanks for the prompt! I'm guessing you mean the uniforms they get at the opening ceremony and not just the colored pin/tie (although that gave me an idea, stay tuned). Hope you like this!
Jin -
How to make this man’s heart swell. Jin has a territorial personality. Seeing you in the blue that makes you look like one of his (subjects) people makes him feel secure in his relationship with you. He’d stand a little taller than usual and suddenly gets the need to take a walk with you for “exercise” and totally not to parade you around, flaunting that you’re his.
Tohma -
“You look very nice.” He’d make it sound like a platitude, but he truly means it. He already considers you as one of the people in his circle, especially since the two of you spend hours in the vault taking care of Frostheim’s internal affairs together, but seeing you dress the part would truly seal the deal. He’s not one to help others if there’s nothing in it for him, but he’d feel inclined to take care of you when you’re dressed like that.
Kaito -
“Are you finally joining Frostheim? With me?” Tears stream and snot drips down his face. Even after you tell him it is just for a mission, he’d relish in the fact that you are matching. He’d try to sneak away with you during the mission to go on a “date” in your “couple’s outfit.”
Lucas -
“What is the occasion?” … “It suits you very well, PC. You should wear this more often.” Your fancy Frostheim skirt is more cumbersome than your uniform one, so he watches out for you even more. Think opening doors, getting utensils for you at the cafeteria, and carrying your bags.
Alan -
Would feel uncomfortable. “You don’t belong here. It’s dangerous.” He’d send you home to get changed. As he’s fixing up a car later that day though, he’d let his mind imagine how it’ll be like if he were a normal guy and you can sit together in class, side by side, and walk back to the dorms together.
Leo -
Starts streaming as soon as he catches sight of you. He’d come up to you talking like you did all this just for him. Showers you with sweet compliments for his viewers. When he’s done though, he’d mock you. “Why are you dressed like me? Are you in love with me or something? Ew, please don’t. I don’t want to be involved with an NPC.” As if he didn’t just force you to be involved with him for a 20 minute stream.
Sho -
“Senpai? Is there a mission?”He wouldn’t compliment you outright, but he might compliment the clothes. Might hyper-fixate on one article so he’d have an excuse to keep looking at you. “That jacket looks really aerodynamic.” “It’d probably let Bonnie go even faster. Want to test it out?” If it is for a mission, he’d actually stand up to Leo if the vice-captain opposes him being partnered with you.
Haru -
Might actually cry. He’s probably the one who got you the uniform, and he takes it as a green light to get you to help with some of the tasks around Jabberwock. Of course, he’d customize the uniform so it’ll accentuate your… features. Haru keeps his eyes narrow so you can’t tell which way his pupils are pointing.
Towa -
Very pleased that you match. During the day, he’d drag you everywhere with him because you are twinning, and twins do everything together. He’d even drag you across the mud because Haru cannot complain about him getting your actual uniform dirty now. At night, he tells you how adorable you are. He’d note how the clothes don’t make the person since he’s very strong but you still look so weak in the jumpsuit.
Ren -
Confusion. Why would you voluntarily wear something like that? He makes a disgusted face at you and yeets away as quickly as he can because this probably means you’re meeting up with Haru, and Ren is not about to entertain “that clown.” However, the next time he has to put on his own jumpsuit, he’d feel less bad about it and his own situation. But then he’d stand in front of the mirror in his green get-up and wonder why he doesn’t look nearly as cute as you in it.
Taiga -
Might mistake you for a Sinostra student. He’d have an even harder time trying to remember who you are since he’s not used to you wearing those clothes. When he finally comes around his memories, he’d pull you into his lap to play poker as usual. He doesn’t have much of an eye for fashion anyway, so he wouldn’t act much differently than usual.
Romeo -
“Huh. You finally don’t look like you walked out of the dumpster.” Takes you to his office to take a good look at your outfit. Will give a few critiques (obviously), but also will help you fix up your fit. By the end of the day, you are ready for the Met Gala. He might even pamper you a little bit, doing a face mask with you and dabbing some serum onto your face. You’d feel like a million dollar purse poodle, but you’re his million dollar purse poodle, and he’d personally make sure you look the part.
Ritsu -
Boy’s elated. Takes it as a sign you are committing to Sinostra and bringing them the Laurel Crown as his business partner. The fact that you look stunning in it is but the fine print of this whole thing. However, if you’ve ever met Ritsu, you’d know he pays close attention to fine print.
Subaru -
Tea party! He’d quickly put on his own robes if he isn’t in them already and bring you to Hotarubi’s terrace with some fancy daifuku and tea. “You look very nice, PC.” He finds eye contact a little easier that day. In fact, he keeps his eyes on you the whole time. Despite his social awkwardness, the beauty and grace you extruded while in those robes spoke to his kabuki culture and had him enraptured.
Haku -
He was probably the one who tricked you into putting on the garment with the Fox Robe. “Now we look like a couple,” he’d say with a wink. He’d do this around the time of the spring festival so now you ‘have’ to go visit it together otherwise it’ll be such a waste of a good opportunity. Walks under cherry blossom trees so he can pick petals out of your hair for you. Oh no! There’s too many people here. Better hold hands so you don’t get lost!
Zenji -
“You look like an absolute doll, my dear!” Walks/floats in circles around you like a satellite, taking in your new look from all angles. “You look like the first flower that blooms after a harsh winter! You breathe life and hope into the hopeless!” Non-stop poetic(?) compliments accompanied by a biwa. Expect to have your ears burning by the end of the day.
Ed -
“This reminds me of the gothic era. I must say though, you manage to pull it off better than most of the children I saw back in the days.” There’s a video playing on his tablet, but he’s watching you instead as you go about cleaning his room. Might actually remember to warn you about mysterious liquids in his room so you don’t soil your clothes.
Rui -
You were supposed to look ghoulish and scary in your Obscuary get up, but Rui still finds you super cute. Then again, he finds you cute even when you’re just breathing. Takes a million pictures together. “PC, this just calls for a romantic walk through a graveyard. They say fear makes the heart grow closer!” He’d insist you stay over for the full Obscuary experience. You’d wake up to a full spread of breakfast and another Obscuary outfit hand tailored by yours truly.
Lyca -
“You’re wearing more fur than usual. And more purple. Hey! Are you joining our house?” Lil pup would be so excited but try to hide it beneath his scowl. Since he didn’t get placed into the same house as Subaru, he really wants a friend as a dorm mate. Since you are human, he’d also be happy that Obscuary seems less like a place for creatures.
Yuri -
“Don’t think you can become the assistant of the great Yuri Isami just because you are dressed like that.” Despite what he says, Yuri would take you around Mortkranken, showing you all the specimens and teaching you how to use the machines. “You better come back here tomorrow immediately after class so you can put some of what you learned to good use. You’d better not waste my efforts!” Oh, and you better wear that outfit again too. You’re supposed to wear lab attire in the lab, after all.
Jiro -
“Take it off.” What he meant is for you to put on the patient gown so he can conduct his examination. The patient gown is basically your Mortkranken uniform any other day since that’s all you’re in whenever you go there.
I'm seeing theories for Onsen Obscuary and THEY BETTER NOT. I am here for Butler Rui and BUTLER RUI ONLY. You already know they ain't dropping two cards each, and I can't risk Onsen Rui taking the spot of Butler Rui. idc about shirtless guys; i see them enough in class already anyway (and i doubt Rui would partake, cause y'know, death)
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Somebody needs to write about PC kissing the ghouls on the cheek scenarios. PC who is just really physically affectionate but has been holding back from showing it cuz of the sudden curse and being in a new place but as she gets more used to Darkwick, she lets herself be more affectionate with her friends. The kissing on the cheek is platonic from pc's side tho. Like imagine PC kissing Kaito on the cheek as she is so grateful for him being there for her always. Kaito's reaction would be so funny. Like bro is gonna ascend . He is going to scream out of excitement and the entire Darkwick is going to know lol. PC kissing Haku's cheek after he walks her to the cathedral. Haku's flirting going to max but he is blushing internally. The angst of PC going in to kiss Rui but remembers that she will die,so she can't kiss Rui. Absolute chaos after PC gives a kiss to Lyca. The surprised reaction from Jin. Ren "ewww what was that" but wishing she would do it again. Taiga one would be hilarious. Like who are you ? What did you do to my cheek? Gun firing. She can't kiss Zenji but still does and Zenji starts composing poems on the spot even though he can't feel the kiss. This scenario is so fun
Jin - ice king, in more ways than one
Tries to act cool to hide the fact that his brain has iced over and is slipping out of his skull. "Did I say you could touch me?" PC apologizes and he realizes he failed to express what he wanted to say again. Kicks you out of his room so he can combust in private. Tohma was secretly watching the whole time and asks you if Jin's cheeks are soft the next time the three of you are in the room. He gets teleported to a landfill by Jin's artifact.
Tohma - act fool, act fool
"Well, well, well. Trying something new?" Lets you know he is fine with it but that other boys might see it as something else. Continues on as usual but step away from you in case you can hear how his heart beat quickens. Before you leave for the day, he re-emphasizes how he is the only one who won't take your actions the wrong way while totally letting his brain take it the wrong way.
Kaito - ded
My boi is not surviving. Screams in excitement and then regrets ruining the moment immediately after. Is convinced you are still taking your relationship platonically still because of how he acted afterwards. Still, he can die happy now.
Luca - confused
Straight up asks you what you are doing/what your intentions are. Totally understands where you are coming from but excuses himself to calm down.
Alan - poker face = 0
Scolds you to stay away from him while turning into a tomato. When you tell him it's just something you do, he warns you how men can take it the wrong way and take advantage of you. Super obvious dude. Stares at your lips and lifts his fingers to brush where you'd kissed him every time he "thinks" you aren't looking. Extra gentle when shaving the area your lips were.
Sho - takes it as a green light
"Senpai?" Catches your wrist as you turn to do something else. Starts getting much more touchy with you from then on. You don't mind since you are normally very physically affectionate in this scenario, but he wishes you would start taking notice of what he's doing. He starts pushing the limit of what's platonically acceptable. Expect bear hugs, hair brushed out of your face, and finger kisses every time he asks you to "help" him with something.
Leo - no
As if you'd ever have enough affection platonically or otherwise to willingly get within 10 feet of this thing.
Haru - bahnti
You've sent him to space. Literally. He is not used to being loved upon in any capacity. Your kiss and enhancement ability accidentally sets off his stigma, and when he jumps out of his seat in surprise, he finds himself on the moon.
Towa - x1000
Smooches you right back. He does not have a very good understanding of love/affection anyway. When you explain that a kiss can mean something other than true love, he understands it as being something good friends like the two of you should be doing all the time. You are physically affectionate? Not when compared to Towa.
Ren - tsundare
Threatens to sue you for s*xual h*rrasment, obviously. No matter what you say next, he tells you to shut up because his heart cannot take it, no matter what it is. Spends every day after wondering when you'd kiss him again even though he told you off on it last time. Will make zero effort to fulfil his dreams though.
Taiga - dangerous game
First off, I commend your courage for being so close to him. He'd probably know who you are at this point in your conversation, assuming you didn't just spring up on him to give him a smooch. "Feeling frisky, Kitty?" Does not let you go. Even as you try to explain yourself, you are now at his mercy.
Romeo - beauty before babes
Will stare at you incredulously. "You--" A trembling hand goes up to touch the spot you kissed. You have no idea what's going on. Suddenly, he's gone and you can hear the caps of a million beauty products popping off in his restroom and Romeo absolutely losing it. Whether that is because you kissed him or because the pH of saliva does not match that of skin, we'll never know.
Ritsu - a 'pragmatic' kind of guy
Pulls out a marriage certificate. "What do you mean you aren't trying to get married?" Explains to you all the benefits of marriage. The legal and financial ones, of course. Convinced it would be so much more efficient if he had his business partner together with him as his legally wedded. Assure you you'd get PTO as stated by the law.
Subaru - oh boy
Goes into panic mode also because he just saw a bunch of your memories. Apology storm commences. He'd avoid you afterwards because the guilt makes him want to tear up his insides every time he sees you, but when he learns you are hurt by his avoidance, he (after rehearsing his speech with Haku 10000 times) goes to talk to you. Very relieved but still feels bad when you tell him you don't mind him seeing your memories. Asks you to not do it again, but lets you know it made him happy.
Haku - you're dating now
Spins what you did way out of proportion and tells you his headcannons. Will take you out on a date because you "didn't even buy him dinner first." Man saw a chance and took it. "PC, I think you missed my lips."
Zenji - inspired
I think OP covered this one very well already. Would 10/10 compose way too many songs about it. Doesn't matter why you did it; it still inspired him. He's very convinced he felt it even though he can't.
Ed - on his own theories
"Oh? Are you that frustrated?" Laughs when you try to explain it was just a friendship thing. "I can smell you sensuality building." Tries and fails to remember the last time he'd gotten a kiss. Tells you about a conspiracy video he watched about ghosts who steal your soul with a kiss but assures you he'd be fine if you ended his long life in such a romantic way. "You are such a gentle kisser, my dear."
Rui - how?
Boy jumped back against the wall when you began to even lean in. "Oi, oi! Touching a face like this isn't free." He is incredibly moved you'd even consider kissing him though, as a friend or otherwise. The insecure thoughts he hides behind his flirtations quiet down for the rest of the night as he secretly stares at you longingly from behind the bar counter.
Lyca - somehow the only one who got it
"Neros used to do that to me too before bed. But it's still the afternoon, PC." Totally took it as a friendship thing too. His ears would pop up though in surprise. He still takes it as a gesture of closeness and trust.
Yuri - error 404: file not found
Have you seen his reaction to hand holding? Boi starts screaming/stammering how scandalous you are. He's convinced you've defiled him even though a part of his mind does not mind being defiled one bit. He might have to surgically remove that part of him. Commands you marry him now because who else can marry him now when he's in such a state? Take some responsibility!
Jiro - romantic but not
Catches you from the chair you balanced on in order to reach his face. "You okay?" he asks, bending over you as you bend backwards over his arm ballroom-dance style. Does not react much to what happened. Just another day on the job.
Hi Rui! Do you have a weighted blanket? It's like a hug without the human-dying part
-chirpy
I actually don’t have one!
But since you sent this, I’ve been looking into getting one for myself. Though, I’m not sure when I’d have time to really enjoy using it. Always busy and I don’t really sleep these days.
Flirting is easy. Flirting is really easy. Mizuki makes it look easy, he's always flirting with the guests in the bar. Patients also seem to Jiro is flirting with them, though his assistant always denies it.
He scribbles question marks all over his notebook, genuinely wondering how one flirts. He would ask Kusanagi but talking to an ex-Frostheim parasite? He'd rather die thrice. Sitting beside a current Frostheim student would turn his brain into mush, the students of Frostheim need brain transplants. They make even Rank-C anomalies look smart.
Though, he doesn't mind how his brain turns into mush every time he sees you. "What a strange person," He huffs, a small smile adorning his face.
From beside Yuri, Kaito tugs at Luca's collar, the transfer student sitting in front of him. "Can we shift seats? He's seriously creeping me out." He whisper-yells but Luca shakes his head, frowning at Kaito.
"That's not nice, Kaito. He's still your classmate, you can get along." He should've selected another class. Why did he have to end up in the same elective class as Luca and Yuri?!
Today was his lucky day! He didn't see a single Frosthiem student, Kaito doesn't exist, and he gets to see you! He needs to know your name and needs to flirt with you.
As he stares at you, following you into the hallway. 'They're too beautiful. No, beautiful isn't even closet describing them,' He drops his books too deep in thought about you.
At the sound, you turn around to see none other than Yuri Isami, the mad scientist of Mortkranken!?
'Should I help him? He'll be fine right?' You watch as he picks up one paper and it somehow falls to the ground again.
'Yeah, he needs help,' You ultimately decide, walking up to him and crouching to pick up his books. However, your entire self is wondering why he's not picking them up and just watching you!?
Passing the books back, you flash him a smile before getting up.
"You," You hum, gesturing him to go on. "Have you gotten all your flu shots?" In the shadows, a certain grim reaper has to stop himself from laughing.
"Excuse me??" He repeats the question, turning more embarrassed as the second passes, "I have...?"
"Good." He nods, walking past you while humming something loudly. You swear you can hear wedding bells go off in his mind.
"What the actual fuck am I hearing right now?" Leo cringes at the conversation. He was sitting by the bushes to get some peace and quiet but he heard the Mortkranken doctor have literal zero game?!
He's definitely not going to get the person he has a crush on.
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I am once again presenting to you all a short comfort fic I made for myself after I got sad 🤲
too cute to be a bad boy
Warning: maybe just a bit of angst, but nothing else
“So you're telling me… You were on that train at that moment because you were at a concert?” Sho stopped cutting the bell pepper to stare at you from under his eyelashes.
“Um… I mean… Yeah…” you rubbed the back of your head, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his judgemental glare.
“That's a dumb way to go, I gotta say” he snickered and went back to chopping.
“Hey, I didn’t ‘go’ yet, okay? I’m still alive and I had to go to their concert. It was their last one, they disbanded after that.”
“Oh, I see, so it was a special concert, huh” he said, a bit of humor still present in his voice.
“Y-yeah… I mean, yeah. It was special. I would probably never see them again, at least not together. I had a lot of fun being part of the fandom, okay?” you pouted, and grabbed a stray french fry that laid on its counter, chomping on it.
“Hey, don’t eat that, that's old!” he widened his eyes.
“Well, what do you care, hm?” you said, dramatically raising your eyebrows as you glared at him “I’m gonna ‘go’ in like 10 months anyway, what’s a soggy french fry going to do?” you swallowed it as if to make your point clear.
Sho sighed, putting his cooking knife to the side.
“Hey, okay, I get it. I’m sorry for making fun of you. But... please don’t talk about yourself like that.” he looked at you, his eyes suddenly gloomy and regretful.
You avoided his gaze, staring at the floor. You could feel tears pricking at your eyes, as the weight of your own words seemed to dawn on you.
10 months.
And it felt like only yesterday that all you thought about was that stupid band.
“Hey, senpai.” You heard Sho gasp and he rounded the corner of his food truck’s counter, walking towards you. His hands held your arms tightly and he shook you a little in order to look at him. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”
You hesitantly lifted your gaze to meet his. You didn’t know when you began letting the tears fall, but it seemed like biting your lips till they almost broke didn’t work as well as you planned.
You knew you weren’t crying because of Sho’s playfulness and you were pretty sure he also had enough emotional intelligence to understand that those were your unspoken fears taking over your body. But also, you didn’t feel like ruining what was supposed to be a fun date hangout with talks of your impending doom. You already had every single lonely waking moment to grieve yourself, you didn’t want to do that when you were with him.
You sniffed and gave Sho’s forearms a gentle squeeze, and his tight grip on you loosened.
“It’s okay” you rubbed your eyes, drying up your tears. “It’s not your fault.”
You looked up at him, a small reassuring smile on your face, and he sighed.
His arms hovered around you and, for a moment, you thought he would pull you into a hug. Instead, he patted your head, much like his captain usually did.
Sho trudged back inside his food truck, rubbing his neck, a conflicted expression plastered on his face for all to see.
You knew he didn't know what to say or what to do. Having a metaphorical guillotine hanging over you sure made it hard for people not to walk on eggshells. But if there was anyone you wanted to be comfortable around, it was Sho.
So you would have to find a way out of this little hole you had dug for the both of you.
“You know” you began “I was just crying because I miss Hizu soooo much” you said with your hand hiding the smirk that began to form on your lips at your silly attempt to make the atmosphere loosen up.
Sho raised an eyebrow before resuming his chopping, as you scrolled through your phone.
“Hizu…? Who’s that.”
You turned your phone to face him with a playful smile on your face.
A photo of a man with brown hair and dark eye makeup filled the screen. He was shirtless with just a black faux fur jacket haphazardly thrown over his shoulder and he appeared to be singing on stage, if the sweat on his body was anything to go by. He looked angry as he was (apparently) yelling something into the microphone, while one of his hands touched his own bare chest.
Sho choked on his saliva when he turned his gaze to your phone.
“Wh-what’s that?!” he said, after a coughing fit that left you laughing loudly, the previous tears completely forgotten.
“Not ‘what’! ‘Who’, please be respectful!” you said, faking outrage “And this is Hizu, he was the vocalist of the band I liked, obviously.”
Taking a sip of water, Sho turned to you, flustered.
“Wow senpai” his voice cracked while he smiled awkwardly “Didn't peg you as someone who liked this… This type of guy…” he muttered, trying to find his bearings before beginning to chop his vegetables again.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me yet, my dear.” you put your phone back in your pocket, feeling triumphant after catching him off guard and getting such a cute reaction from him. If there was any reason for you to beat your curse, you were pretty sure one of them was to keep on teasing him.
“I thought you were too nice to like a scary type of guy…” he grumbled again, deep in thought, eyebrows knitted and the tip of ears pink, as he finished his task and began mixing everything inside a bowl.
“Whaaaat. You’ll see that, in fact, I am pretty attracted to bad boys.” you said, resting your elbows on his counter as you leaned your head on your hands.
Sho’s head quickly snapped towards you, and you smiled happily when you noticed the blush spread from his ears to his cheeks. He scratched his cheek and looked away, walking towards his fridge to grab the hamburger meat he needed for his recipe – and NOT to cool his face down, no, not at all.
“Um, yeah. I sure hope you like bad boys.”
You giggled at his bashfulness. Your kouhai was just too cute to be a bad boy, but you weren't going to say that. At least not at that moment.
Description: Rui broke his curse and was sent to pose as a masters student for his fourth-year field work. Now that he can follow through with his flirtatious antics in a place full of ladies, he feels less sure of himself and what he is doing. While trying to figure out his new reality, he finds one thing that grounds him.
Pairing: Rui x fem!reader
Word count: 5.5k
Warnings: anxieties, killing, semi-death
cross-posted on AO3
Rui didn’t know how to feel when his curse was finally lifted. It had been his normal for so long, he wasn’t sure how to react. He simply stared at the spot where the demon he had just slain evaporated into dust. At some point, he managed to start dragging his feet back home. He walked into a low hanging branch, and a leaf scratched his cheek instead of disintegrating into dust.
“Ah,” he said. “I’m no longer cursed,” he finally vocalized.
That night, Rui laid on his bed and fell asleep.
Rui woke up one morning, turning off his alarm before it even had a chance to ring. He pulled on his turtleneck and gloves before walking out of his room to brew some tea. As he waited, he looked around his apartment. Its walls were white, and a cream carpet laid under his slippers—a clear contrast to Obscuary’s darker tones. Potted plants sat on his balcony rather than anomalous vines invading his windows.
At 9:30, he headed towards Taiyo University’s campus. It was, after all, his first day of school. On the way, he noticed a pair of girls spotting him and stopping to gawk. Rui realized at that moment he could now say hi, shake their hands, and even give them a hug. He could deliver his honey-sweet lines like he used to and follow through with the things he said. He could, but instead, the thought makes his skin prick. Putting his head down, he hurried away.
A few more blocks and another girl stopped him.
“Hey there. My name’s Chiko.” She smiled a little too wide.
“H-hi,” he replied. Why’s she talking to him? What should he say back?
“What’s your name?”
“Rui.” His voice sounded weak.
“Okay, Rui. Where are you headed?”
“The life science building.”
“Oh,” she said in a sing-songy voice, “I am heading there too. Mind if I tag along?”
She reached her hands towards his arms, and Rui jumped back.
“I think we should go separately,” he yelped before rushing off.
He held his arms close to himself and hunched his shoulders as he realized more and more eyes on him. His ears began to ring as he willed his feet to move faster and faster and—
“Ah!”
Rui snapped out of his trance as he realized something had collided into him. He looked down and saw a girl on the ground.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed.
“No, I wasn’t watching where I was going either,” she said. She stood up and brushed herself off.
Rui handed her the book she dropped.
“Thanks.” She took one look at his face when she thanked him, but quickly went back to being preoccupied by a scrape on her hand.
“I’m really sorry.”
“Really, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Have a good day!”
Of course he’s okay—he’s a ghoul, he thought as she waved and walked off. She must have felt like she walked into a brick wall. Discreetly, he kissed his fingers and sent a stream of golden dust towards her hand.
After a bit of wandering, Rui finally found his classroom. He was glad he left home extra early, because after getting lost multiple times, he barely had a minute to spare before class. When he walked in, everyone was already whispering in newly formed cliques. He still received a few leering gazes and a few people motioned to the seat next to them for him, but one particular smile caught his attention.
It was the girl he knocked down earlier. She’s smiling as if amused.
“Hello class. Welcome to Anatomy 199. My name is Dr. Bee. Please quickly find a chair,” said the professor as she walked in, startling Rui. He quickly went to take a seat and found himself next to the stranger from the morning.
She gave him a nod of greeting as he sat down before turning her attention to the lecture.
When class finally drew to a close, the girl stretched her arms forward to release the tension in her body before turning to Rui.
“I guess I should finally introduce myself, huh?” she chuckled. Placing a palm on her chest, she said, “My name is __. It is nice to meet you.”
“Rui,” he replied, his voice feeling uncharacteristically stuck in his throat.
“Cool. Guess we’ll be seeing each other around.” __ bent down to pick up her backpack.
“Wait,” blurted Rui before even thinking.
__ looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but he wasn’t sure what to say. She has been the only person since he’s moved here that did not make his skin crawl, and he wanted to stay with her for just a bit longer.
“I, um,” he stammered, “It’s my first day here, and I got kinda lost. Could you show me how to get out of this building?”
__ laughed. “Sure, I can do that,” she agreed, making Rui release a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Oh, and let me give you this too.” She pulled out a post-it note and scribbled her number on it. “If you need any help adjusting, you can give me a call.”
“T-thanks.” The paper felt warm in his hands.
“Well?” she said. “Are you going to leave?”
“Oh! Right!” Rui exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
__ let out another laugh, which Rui realized he could get used to.
“So where did you do your undergrad?” she asked.
“I came from Darkwick Academy.”
“Darkwick? Isn’t that super prestigious? What are you doing at Taiyo U?”
“Well they have a very, let’s just say, niche curriculum there. I thought I’d experience the real world a little too.”
“Still, doesn’t everyone from that school get a cushy, well-paid job?”
Well-paid is questionable, but having to capture anomalies in the middle of the night was definitely not what he would call cushy.
“I just thought I’d keep myself a little more well-rounded,” he lied.
“Hey, good for you.” Pointing to a door, she said, “And there’s the exit. I’ve got another class in this building soon, but I’ll see you next week.”
“Okay,” agreed Rui. He didn’t want to part so soon, but he couldn’t keep her any longer, and a ping from his pocket told him he needed to check his phone soon. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem.” She flashed him a smile—one that didn’t make him queasy—and turned to leave.
After __ walked out of sight, Rui pulled out his phone to check his notification. Sure enough, it was from whom he expected.
‘Darkwick: Tonight. Expected around the west soccer field. Class C.’
Rui sighed as he tucked the device back into his pocket. The real reason he was here was to complete his fourth year field work, and Taiyo University had been experiencing a strange increase in anomalous activity. Guess he won’t be sleeping much tonight.
After a full night of exterminating a persistent army of two headed moles, Rui shuffled into his Anatomy lab wondering if he should start drinking coffee. It proved to be unneeded as his adrenaline shot up when he saw who walked in five minutes later.
“__?” If he were Lyca, his ears would have popped straight up.
“We’re in the same lab session too? We must be connected by fate,” she joked. Her words made Rui’s stomach squeeze. She chose to sit next to him, which the professor later announced would make them lab partners for the rest of the semester.
“Put on gloves as your TA passes out these femur cross sections,” instructed Dr. Bee. “I want you to appreciate the difference in thickness in cortex and think about the type of stress each side receives.”
Rui pulled off his leather gloves and reached for the nitrile ones sitting above the bench. As he did so, he noticed __ staring.
“Am I doing something wrong?”
“N-no,” __ replied and quickly went to pull on her own gloves. “Sorry for staring.”
“Darkwick’s labs are pretty different, so please let me know if I am doing something wrong.”
“It’s not that, it’s just… Your hands look, well, normal.”
“My hands?”
“You’re always wearing gloves, so I thought—” She waved her hands around to finish the sentence for her.
“Oh.” He had started wearing gloves as a precaution after he was cursed and never really thought about stopping. Unbeknownst to him, they had become sort of a comfort item for him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. Not that there’s anything wrong with having any sort of hands. Or no hands,” she blabbered.
Rui gave her a reassuring smile. “No worries. I’m not offended or anything. Gloves are quite popular in Darkwick, so I guess I just got used to them. It is kind of a dark, medieval kind of place.”
“Oh, I see. They do look cool! You should keep wearing them if you want to.”
Rui nodded as a bone was placed in front of them. He quickly took the chance to change the topic. “So one side of the bone should have a thicker cortical layer, right?”
Over the next couple of months, Rui got to spend more and more time with __. Being lab partners, they often stayed behind in class for extra review or studied together. Their go-to study spot quickly became Rui’s apartment since the library was too loud and __’s non-Darkwick-sponsored apartment was not big enough for two people.
One day, after a few hours of struggling with cranial nerves, the two decided to take a study break by baking cookies. Pretty soon, the smell of red velvet filled the space.
“We are such nerds,” Rui snorted, looking at the neuron-shaped goodies __ placed on the cooling rack.
“And proud,” __ agrees. She turned to hang up her mittens when Rui reached for a unipolar cookie. Having taken off his usual gloves to bake, the heat from the treat travels straight into his hand, making him drop it with a loud clang. “Ah!”
__ whipped around and quickly assessed the situation. “You idiot!” Wasting no time, she flipped on the tap and reached for Rui’s hand. Just as soon as she did so though, she jumped back, putting both hands in the air and leaving Rui confused.
“I’m sorry!” she yelped.
“Why?” Rui asked, putting his hand under water himself. “I was the one who touched the cookie.”
“I know you don’t like being touched.”
Rui looked down at his bare hands. That’s right. “It’s okay. It was necessary,” he assured her.
“But you flinched away.”
He did? He shouldn’t be surprised, but he was disappointed. He’s not bound by his curse anymore, and he didn’t want to live like he was, especially not with __. His heart squeezed with an unknown feeling.
“I didn’t mean to. I’m sor—”
At that moment, his phone buzzed. He recognized that particular notification sound. It is one he couldn’t ignore.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “It’s work. Give me a second.”
__ nodded as Rui turned off the water and walked towards his phone. He didn’t even get to read the message before an explosion was heard outside.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!” Rui said a bit too quickly.
‘Darkwick: Class A anomaly in your area. Response required IMMEDIATELY.’
Rui let out a curse. “I need to go in. It’s an emergency.”
“Okay. I will clean up.”
“Thanks,” he said, heading for the door. Before he made it all the way though, he turned back. “__, listen. I don’t hate your touch. I’m just… sorting through some stuff.”
The girl nodded. “I know.”
Rui immediately felt lighter. “And stay here, okay? No matter what. I’ll walk you home tonight. Don’t go before then.”
She nodded again, her cheeks a little red. “Okay.”
Rui took one more look at her before rushing out the door, hand going towards his belt.
The anomalies have been getting more and more violent, he realized as he trudged back home after a narrow victory against tonight’s beast. He willed his feet to go faster, not wanting to keep __ waiting. It was pretty late by this time, and he wondered if she was still in his apartment. He had placed an anomalous barrier around his unit, so it was the only place he knew she’d be safe. He prayed she was still there, but the way his leg was bent backwards made it a long time before he found out.
Rui let out a sigh of relief when he saw a light emanating from his unit. When he got to the door, he already had an apology on his lips.
“__, I’m sorry I—”
His words were cut short when he noticed that she was curled up on his couch, a throw blanket covering her sleeping shoulders.
Rui softened and legs finally gave out, making him collapse onto the floor. Despite his body’s cry for first aid, he pulled himself towards her. Tentatively, he reached out one finger.
__ had always been so patient and honest with him, always keeping her word and making him feel welcome without expecting anything in return. His mind drifted back to their earlier conversation and how he let his past ruin his present and hurt __. He pursed his lips together and, with more determination, willed his finger forward until it came into contact with one of hers. He let out a breath and felt her warmth spread through the single point of contact.
He wondered if she would understand if he told her the truth.
Rui chose a table in a cafe, placing a latte in front of himself and a scone in front of the seat across from him. He could hear whispering voices around him and eyes digging into his skin. He could disappear into the shadows with his artifact, but today, he had to wait. She’d be here soon anyway.
“Rui!”
His gaze popped up from his lap at the sound of her voice. He smiled as she took her seat.
“Hope you like scones,” he said. “I don’t remember you ever bringing coffee to class, but I know you like sweets.”
“Sure do, thanks,” she affirmed.
At that moment, a girl with bleached hair bounced over to his table.
“Hey there, Handsome.”
“Um…” Rui tugged his gloves further up his wrist, and his stomach churned. His eyes darted to __ and found her staring.
“Can I get your number?” the girl asked bravely, shifting her weight onto his table and tipping her phone towards him.
“Excuse me,” interrupted __.
The girl turned to look at her, annoyed and whipping her hair into Rui’s face in the process. “What?”
“I’m literally right here.”
“So? Are you like his girlfriend or something?”
“Yes,” __ said calmly.
The girl scoffed. “Whatever. Guys have time for two anyway, and I can show him a much better time.”
She turned her attention back to Rui who was as red as a tomato. “I-I would never!” he exclaimed.
“Lame,” she tched and stood to leave. “What a waste of time.”
Rui let out a breath when she was finally gone. He could not figure out why he was like this now when honey-laden words used to easily flow from his lips. It was frustrating, especially with how the world began to spin as he ruminated over how all he could do in that situation was sit there like a fool. He could hear a high pitched noise crescendo in his ears until—
“Are you alright?” __ asked, snapping him out of his head.
He still felt kind of dizzy and like his skin was crawling, but it wasn’t anything he wanted to concern her with. “Yeah, that was just weird. Thanks for sending her off.”
__ pressed together her lips. “You know…” she began slowly, “that was a stressful encounter. I think you handled that really well.”
“Thanks? I didn’t do anything though.”
__ shook her head. “You were polite to her even though you didn’t have to be. I think she appreciates it even if she doesn’t realize it. You really did the best possible things with the given situation.”
“Thanks…” A different kind of heat crept up Rui’s neck.
“Do you want to go somewhere else? I can wrap up the scone in a napkin,” __ offered.
“No, it’s okay. The cafe is pretty.” Besides, he realized focusing on her voice made all the other voices melt away. All the eyes prying at him were fine as long as hers was on him too, keeping him safe like a childhood blanket.
“You know,” he said, taking a more cheery tone, “I used to be a huge flirt back in Darkwick.”
“Really?” __ laughed along.
“Seriously. But alas, my youthful days are behind me.”
__ rolled her eyes humorously. “You must have had a lot of girlfriends then.”
“Nah, I just liked to put on a show.”
“So no girlfriend? Not even one?” __ raised an eyebrow.
Unknowingly, Rui’s heart rate began to speed up. “Why do you ask?”
“Have you looked in a mirror?”
Rui choked on his latte at her response. “I, um, uh, t-thanks.”
__ laughed again and handed him a napkin. The conversation flowed elsewhere, but her words stayed in Rui’s brain.
“That means she finds me attractive, right?” he asked an anomaly that night as he sliced its neck with his scythe.
“Maybe she just meant objectively. Like I guess my face is pretty symmetrical, and I did a pretty good job with my haircut this time,” he contemplated with his shower head while lathering shampoo.
Or maybe, he thought while spitting out his toothpaste, “As a man?”
“I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but the possibility isn’t zero, right?” he mumbled into his pillow.
Rui had gone mad. He must have. He didn’t know if it was due to all those late night anomaly hunts or all the spinal pathways Dr. Bee had him memorize, but one way or another, he had gone mad. Otherwise, there was no way he just blurted out what he did.
“Can I hold your hand?”
__ looked up from her notes from across Rui’s coffee table. Her eyes blinked in surprise.
“I-I mean! I-I was just thinking I should get over my fear of physical contact, y’know? Like it’s probably good if I go into a career with patient interaction. And like, in general, it’s probably good to be able to be a normal person!” he rambled, waving his hands in the air erratically.
__ stifled a laugh. “Sure,” she agreed.
Rui froze while still in a strange pose. “Wait, really?”
“I don’t see why not. If it will help you, I’ll hold your hand any time.” __ shifted her laptop to her left and slid her right hand across the table. She then turned her attention back to her screen.
Rui’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her fingers. They looked so dainty and fragile. He felt like he could hurt her just by touching them even without his curse. Still, she said it was okay, and Rui knew he had to do this. No, he wanted to do this. Gingerly, he slid his own hand across the table.
It’s okay, he told himself. The curse is gone, and I’m still wearing gloves.
At long last, he managed to brush his fingertips against hers. Almost instinctively, he flinched back, but __ reached forward and grabbed his hand with hers. Her hand was on top of his, applying a firm pressure that felt like it was grounding him. Slowly, Rui allowed himself to relax.
The two stayed like that for a while, silently with the only sound being the clicking of keys and the turning of pages. That was, until __ spoke up.
“You are normal.”
“What?”
“I said you are a normal person,” she replied, referring to what he said earlier. “Even if you have haphephobia, you’re still normal.”
“I’m not what you think I am…” Rui mumbled towards his lap.
“Rui.”
He looked back up at her, pasting on a wide smile. “I was just kidding earlier. I know I’ve got a thing, but it doesn’t bother me too much.”
“Rui,” she said again, ignoring his words. “And even if you’re not, I still like you the way you are, and I will be here for you even when you feel like I shouldn’t be.”
His jaw hung open as she continued to hold him with his gaze. After a while, he bit his lip and choked out, “Do you believe in demons and curses?” He unconsciously held her hand tighter.
“No.”
He felt his heart drop and his grip fade.
__ re-adjusted his hand in hers. “But I will if you tell me they exist.”
That hardly made any sense. “Why?”
“Because I trust you. And if it is something you went through, and if I want to understand you better—which I do—then it is crucial I believe it too.”
Rui couldn’t help but look at her incredulously. She had either got to be a saint or a complete fool. “How can you trust me that much?” Especially when he had done nothing but lie about his entire identity?
__ shrugged. “Maybe because I see the desperation in your eyes for someone to. Or maybe because even you won’t give yourself the benefit of the doubt.”
“You shouldn’t… I’m not who you think I am.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gate in the tears that threatened to fall.
“I know you are someone who wants the best for me, no matter the cost. Am I wrong?” she said gently.
“No,” he choked out honestly, “you’re not.”
“Then that’s good enough for me.”
How could that be good enough for her? Surely, anyone—let alone someone so kind hearted—deserved someone who wasn’t a life-sucking, demon-eating, pathological liar. Someone like __ didn’t deserve all his fabricated stories and emotional baggage.
“I’m sorry.” He felt a tear slide down his nose and the dam quickly completely breaking soon after. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
__ walked around the table with his hand still in hers and sat beside him. She leaned his head against her shoulder which he did not resist nor flinch against.
“I’m sorry,” he continued sobbing, letting all the lies he told eat at him. He recalled every excuse he told her when Darkwick called and the stories he’d spin when he returned. He recalled telling her the fake background story Darkwick made up for him and her memorizing every detail. Everything she knew about him was a lie. Everything except how he felt.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated weakly when all his strength had left him through tears.
“I know, and it’s okay,” she said, making him feel like everything really was.
“I like you… so much,” he mindlessly mumbled incoherently.
__ shifted his weight as Rui began to droop more and more.
“Tell me about a curse,” she prompted him.
“Well, there is this one with a grim reaper…”
He told her stories, real ones, until his words began to slur and his consciousness gave into her warmth.
Rui woke up to a ray of sun shining through the window. He realized he was on the ground with his head on a pillow and a sheet pulled over his torso.
“__?” he called when he realized her presence.
The girl quickly ran her hand across her eyes and turned to him. “You’re awake. Sorry about the floor; I couldn’t lift you into bed.”
“That’s fine,” he assured her. His brows furrowed when he took a closer look at her. “__, is everything okay?”
She took his bedding and quickly turned away. “Y-yeah.”
Rui frowns. “Hn.”
That was enough to get __ to whip around. Her eyes were definitely red. “Y-you!”
“Me?” Rui blinked.
Another tear slipped down __’s cheek which sent a wave of panic through Rui.
“Why’d you have to go through all that?” she wailed, pointing at her laptop.
Rui followed her finger and saw multiple tabs on the grim reaper’s curse.
“You spent all night crying for me?” He felt his heart swell.
__ mumbled something incoherent and threw the pillow at his face. Rui couldn’t help the smile that spread across his features. He took the blanket from her and tossed it onto the couch. To both their surprise, he then moved to wrap her into a hug.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“We can’t dawdle; we got a test today,” __ complained weakly.
“You’re not letting go either,” Rui chuckled, feeling her arms tighten around him.
“One more minute,” she bargained.
After a while and after they had freshened up, Rui grabbed his bag to meet __ by the door. He went to open it when he felt a tug on his hand. He turned to see what was wrong.
__ cleared her throat. “L-let’s go,” she said, not letting go as a blush spread across her face.
Rui was about to reply when a familiar ping sounded in his pocket.
“Do you need to get that?” __ asked with a frown.
Rui looked at their hands. “No, it’ll be fine,” he decided. “We’ve got a test.”
The way __’s face brightened increased his confidence in his decision.
“Let’s go!”
‘Darkwick: Unknown HIGH energy anomaly detected nearby. Response required IMMEDIATELY.’
The room was silent save for the scritching of pencils on paper. Rui’s phone was completely turned off and stored in his bag. Not exactly pressured to do well, Rui allowed himself to shift his gaze over to the girl beside him. Her brows were slightly furrowed in concentration, and her lips were pressed into a little frown. Rui smiled to himself, finding everything about her adorable. He was about to turn back to his paper when—
BANG!
It happened in a split second. The roof collapsed as something huge, black, and sharp swung down. Before Rui could even react, the object impaled through __’s neck. She immediately lost all consciousness: her arms dangled down, pencil rolling away to who-knows-where. She laid pinned face-down into the desk in front of her.
“__!!!” Rui rushed to her side as the fire alarm started blaring and people ran for their lives. Rui reached for the black blade sticking out from her back, and a familiar energy surged through him. That was when he realized there was no blood, despite the traumatic injury. The memory of that morning’s text from Darkwick flitted into mind followed by fear and regret. He looked up at whatever was wielding the weapon, knowing exactly what to expect.
“Shinigami.”
The creature reared its giant head towards Rui. Its eye curved into hideous crescents when it recognized him.
“yOU! YoU’rE thE oNe whO kiLLeD my sErvAnT!”
“What do you want?” Rui demanded.
“I’m HunGrY! I nEEd EnerGY! SUCK MORE ENERGY!”
With that, the creature moved to lift its synth. Rui acted quickly, holding down the spiritual blade. He knew it would pull __’s soul out with it, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.
“wHat. Let gO!”
“Release her!” commanded Rui. The blade of death sank deeper into his skin the tighter he held on.
“nO! ThaT’s my fOOd!”
“I’ll carry your curse again!” he bargained, voice cracking in pain and desperation. “I’ll eat for you! I’ll kill for you! Just let her go!”
“You’VE beTRAyed ME!”
With that, the reaper turned into dust and rushed towards Rui. The ghoul got knocked off his feet as the creature flooded into him through his eyes, mouth, and ears. Rui could feel himself eroding from the inside, but perhaps due to his supernatural body or the tolerance he built from hosting the curse all these years, he was able to fight off the anomaly for the moment.
With a cry, Rui threw himself towards __. He released __’s soul from the now-abandoned synth and flung it to the side. The wound in __’s neck disappeared like it was never there, but the girl laid motionless still on the table.
“What?” With the grim reaper inside him now, he could feel __’s life buzzing under his fingers. Why wasn’t she waking up? He couldn’t see the state of her soul with his current physical eyes. He had to escape his current limitations if he wanted to see what was wrong.
“Damn it!” he cried. His attention shifted to the synth he casted aside. He only hesitated for a second before he plunged the blade into his chest. He ignored the shearing pain as he ripped his soul out of his body.
Once outside his physical confinement, he could see __’s soul. To add to his current panic, he realized see was littered with cracks.
“N-no,” Rui whimpered. He reached a hand out only for it to go straight through __.
To add to the list of problems, Rui’s body began to move. Its arm cranked up into the air followed by the body then the head. At last, it was fully standing. It smiled widely as it opened its eyes. Instead of the usual pink irises, a black void sat in the sockets.
“This feels amazing,” cackled the reaper, flexing Rui’s muscles. “Thanks for leaving this behind.”
Rui snapped his head towards his body. “What did you do to her?”
“Oh that?” The reaper took its time rolling out Rui’s neck. “That happens to normal souls when they have my synth in them long enough. You truly are special to be in such an intact state yourself.”
“Fix her!” he demanded. “You have to undo this!”
“Calm down,” waved the reaper. “Aren’t you even concerned about your body being taken over?”
“Don’t try to change the topic!”
“She must be someone very important.” Its uncanny smile spread even wider across its face. “But no matter how much you beg, there’s nothing I, the bringer of death, can do to heal a soul.”
“There HAS to be—”
“But!” the creature interrupted. “You can.”
“What?”
“I sense there is something else in here that’s after your soul. Something with just enough power to heal a soul.”
“My stigma?” Rui’s stigma had never been a strong one. Whereas his colleagues were able to command an army or run at the speed of sound, he was only able to alleviate minor pains and fatigue. To heal a soul? Rui had never even considered such a possibility.
“Bingo!” sang the thing. “I’m not sure why you kept trying to heal physical injuries when that’s not even what it’s for.”
Rui whipped towards __’s broken form. “Then I can save her.”
“Yesss,” agreed the reaper.
Rui missed the glint in its hollow eyes. Instead, he stood before __ and gathered all his energy. “I can do this,” he told himself. “I have to.” He chanted his incantation and blew as hard as he could a storm of golden dust over the girl. When he saw the dust slowly mending the cracks in her soul, Rui felt the tension around his heart slowly begin to relax.
“AHAHAHA!” cackled the anomaly, signaling the end of Rui’s celebration.
The ghoul heard a crack and looked down to see his own soul cracking. “What is happening?”
“You can’t heal anything with a demon’s power, you fool!” it cackled. “You just suck up their pain. Thanks to my curse, you always had enough energy to never notice it before, but now, you have no such luxury. Kind of ironic, isn’t it? With both the ghoul’s and reaper’s curse, you could have done such great things. But you just had to break it, didn’t you? And for what?” it sneered. “To hold a girl’s hand?”
“Oh,” said Rui.
The reaper looked at him in surprise, not expecting such a mellow response. It followed Rui’s eyes as he looked at his own cracking hands then at __.
Silently, Rui treaded to __. Slowly, she began to shift in her seat.
“Mnnhg,” she stirred. She then blinked once, twice, three times.
“__…” breathed Rui.
When she finally came to, she looked at him. No, not at him, but rather through him.
“Rui?” she said.
Rui opened his mouth to reply, but a voice spoke behind him. His voice. “You’re awake! You hit your head during the earthquake. I was so worried!”
__’s lips spread into a smile, one that was supposed to be meant for him. “I’ll be okay. Since you’re here.”
“What’s happening?” he gasped, either unable or unwilling to grasp the situation. “You can’t— You can’t pretend to be me!”
Rui watched as his body brushed some hair out of __’s face and her leaning into its chest. “And I will always be here for you.”
“I’m kind of sleepy,” she mumbled.
“Then sleep. I’ll be right here.” The anomaly held __ close to it as it smirked in Rui’s direction. The latter could only stare, bewildered, as a crack formed across his face.
Description: Rui broke his curse and was sent to pose as a masters student for his fourth-year field work. Now that he can follow through with his flirtatious antics in a place full of ladies, he feels less sure of himself and what he is doing. While trying to figure out his new reality, he finds one thing that grounds him.
Pairing: Rui x fem!reader
Word count: 5.5k
Warnings: anxieties, killing, semi-death
cross-posted on AO3
Rui didn’t know how to feel when his curse was finally lifted. It had been his normal for so long, he wasn’t sure how to react. He simply stared at the spot where the demon he had just slain evaporated into dust. At some point, he managed to start dragging his feet back home. He walked into a low hanging branch, and a leaf scratched his cheek instead of disintegrating into dust.
“Ah,” he said. “I’m no longer cursed,” he finally vocalized.
That night, Rui laid on his bed and fell asleep.
Rui woke up one morning, turning off his alarm before it even had a chance to ring. He pulled on his turtleneck and gloves before walking out of his room to brew some tea. As he waited, he looked around his apartment. Its walls were white, and a cream carpet laid under his slippers—a clear contrast to Obscuary’s darker tones. Potted plants sat on his balcony rather than anomalous vines invading his windows.
At 9:30, he headed towards Taiyo University’s campus. It was, after all, his first day of school. On the way, he noticed a pair of girls spotting him and stopping to gawk. Rui realized at that moment he could now say hi, shake their hands, and even give them a hug. He could deliver his honey-sweet lines like he used to and follow through with the things he said. He could, but instead, the thought makes his skin prick. Putting his head down, he hurried away.
A few more blocks and another girl stopped him.
“Hey there. My name’s Chiko.” She smiled a little too wide.
“H-hi,” he replied. Why’s she talking to him? What should he say back?
“What’s your name?”
“Rui.” His voice sounded weak.
“Okay, Rui. Where are you headed?”
“The life science building.”
“Oh,” she said in a sing-songy voice, “I am heading there too. Mind if I tag along?”
She reached her hands towards his arms, and Rui jumped back.
“I think we should go separately,” he yelped before rushing off.
He held his arms close to himself and hunched his shoulders as he realized more and more eyes on him. His ears began to ring as he willed his feet to move faster and faster and—
“Ah!”
Rui snapped out of his trance as he realized something had collided into him. He looked down and saw a girl on the ground.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed.
“No, I wasn’t watching where I was going either,” she said. She stood up and brushed herself off.
Rui handed her the book she dropped.
“Thanks.” She took one look at his face when she thanked him, but quickly went back to being preoccupied by a scrape on her hand.
“I’m really sorry.”
“Really, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Have a good day!”
Of course he’s okay—he’s a ghoul, he thought as she waved and walked off. She must have felt like she walked into a brick wall. Discreetly, he kissed his fingers and sent a stream of golden dust towards her hand.
After a bit of wandering, Rui finally found his classroom. He was glad he left home extra early, because after getting lost multiple times, he barely had a minute to spare before class. When he walked in, everyone was already whispering in newly formed cliques. He still received a few leering gazes and a few people motioned to the seat next to them for him, but one particular smile caught his attention.
It was the girl he knocked down earlier. She’s smiling as if amused.
“Hello class. Welcome to Anatomy 199. My name is Dr. Bee. Please quickly find a chair,” said the professor as she walked in, startling Rui. He quickly went to take a seat and found himself next to the stranger from the morning.
She gave him a nod of greeting as he sat down before turning her attention to the lecture.
When class finally drew to a close, the girl stretched her arms forward to release the tension in her body before turning to Rui.
“I guess I should finally introduce myself, huh?” she chuckled. Placing a palm on her chest, she said, “My name is __. It is nice to meet you.”
“Rui,” he replied, his voice feeling uncharacteristically stuck in his throat.
“Cool. Guess we’ll be seeing each other around.” __ bent down to pick up her backpack.
“Wait,” blurted Rui before even thinking.
__ looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but he wasn’t sure what to say. She has been the only person since he’s moved here that did not make his skin crawl, and he wanted to stay with her for just a bit longer.
“I, um,” he stammered, “It’s my first day here, and I got kinda lost. Could you show me how to get out of this building?”
__ laughed. “Sure, I can do that,” she agreed, making Rui release a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Oh, and let me give you this too.” She pulled out a post-it note and scribbled her number on it. “If you need any help adjusting, you can give me a call.”
“T-thanks.” The paper felt warm in his hands.
“Well?” she said. “Are you going to leave?”
“Oh! Right!” Rui exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
__ let out another laugh, which Rui realized he could get used to.
“So where did you do your undergrad?” she asked.
“I came from Darkwick Academy.”
“Darkwick? Isn’t that super prestigious? What are you doing at Taiyo U?”
“Well they have a very, let’s just say, niche curriculum there. I thought I’d experience the real world a little too.”
“Still, doesn’t everyone from that school get a cushy, well-paid job?”
Well-paid is questionable, but having to capture anomalies in the middle of the night was definitely not what he would call cushy.
“I just thought I’d keep myself a little more well-rounded,” he lied.
“Hey, good for you.” Pointing to a door, she said, “And there’s the exit. I’ve got another class in this building soon, but I’ll see you next week.”
“Okay,” agreed Rui. He didn’t want to part so soon, but he couldn’t keep her any longer, and a ping from his pocket told him he needed to check his phone soon. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem.” She flashed him a smile—one that didn’t make him queasy—and turned to leave.
After __ walked out of sight, Rui pulled out his phone to check his notification. Sure enough, it was from whom he expected.
‘Darkwick: Tonight. Expected around the west soccer field. Class C.’
Rui sighed as he tucked the device back into his pocket. The real reason he was here was to complete his fourth year field work, and Taiyo University had been experiencing a strange increase in anomalous activity. Guess he won’t be sleeping much tonight.
After a full night of exterminating a persistent army of two headed moles, Rui shuffled into his Anatomy lab wondering if he should start drinking coffee. It proved to be unneeded as his adrenaline shot up when he saw who walked in five minutes later.
“__?” If he were Lyca, his ears would have popped straight up.
“We’re in the same lab session too? We must be connected by fate,” she joked. Her words made Rui’s stomach squeeze. She chose to sit next to him, which the professor later announced would make them lab partners for the rest of the semester.
“Put on gloves as your TA passes out these femur cross sections,” instructed Dr. Bee. “I want you to appreciate the difference in thickness in cortex and think about the type of stress each side receives.”
Rui pulled off his leather gloves and reached for the nitrile ones sitting above the bench. As he did so, he noticed __ staring.
“Am I doing something wrong?”
“N-no,” __ replied and quickly went to pull on her own gloves. “Sorry for staring.”
“Darkwick’s labs are pretty different, so please let me know if I am doing something wrong.”
“It’s not that, it’s just… Your hands look, well, normal.”
“My hands?”
“You’re always wearing gloves, so I thought—” She waved her hands around to finish the sentence for her.
“Oh.” He had started wearing gloves as a precaution after he was cursed and never really thought about stopping. Unbeknownst to him, they had become sort of a comfort item for him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. Not that there’s anything wrong with having any sort of hands. Or no hands,” she blabbered.
Rui gave her a reassuring smile. “No worries. I’m not offended or anything. Gloves are quite popular in Darkwick, so I guess I just got used to them. It is kind of a dark, medieval kind of place.”
“Oh, I see. They do look cool! You should keep wearing them if you want to.”
Rui nodded as a bone was placed in front of them. He quickly took the chance to change the topic. “So one side of the bone should have a thicker cortical layer, right?”
Over the next couple of months, Rui got to spend more and more time with __. Being lab partners, they often stayed behind in class for extra review or studied together. Their go-to study spot quickly became Rui’s apartment since the library was too loud and __’s non-Darkwick-sponsored apartment was not big enough for two people.
One day, after a few hours of struggling with cranial nerves, the two decided to take a study break by baking cookies. Pretty soon, the smell of red velvet filled the space.
“We are such nerds,” Rui snorted, looking at the neuron-shaped goodies __ placed on the cooling rack.
“And proud,” __ agrees. She turned to hang up her mittens when Rui reached for a unipolar cookie. Having taken off his usual gloves to bake, the heat from the treat travels straight into his hand, making him drop it with a loud clang. “Ah!”
__ whipped around and quickly assessed the situation. “You idiot!” Wasting no time, she flipped on the tap and reached for Rui’s hand. Just as soon as she did so though, she jumped back, putting both hands in the air and leaving Rui confused.
“I’m sorry!” she yelped.
“Why?” Rui asked, putting his hand under water himself. “I was the one who touched the cookie.”
“I know you don’t like being touched.”
Rui looked down at his bare hands. That’s right. “It’s okay. It was necessary,” he assured her.
“But you flinched away.”
He did? He shouldn’t be surprised, but he was disappointed. He’s not bound by his curse anymore, and he didn’t want to live like he was, especially not with __. His heart squeezed with an unknown feeling.
“I didn’t mean to. I’m sor—”
At that moment, his phone buzzed. He recognized that particular notification sound. It is one he couldn’t ignore.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “It’s work. Give me a second.”
__ nodded as Rui turned off the water and walked towards his phone. He didn’t even get to read the message before an explosion was heard outside.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!” Rui said a bit too quickly.
‘Darkwick: Class A anomaly in your area. Response required IMMEDIATELY.’
Rui let out a curse. “I need to go in. It’s an emergency.”
“Okay. I will clean up.”
“Thanks,” he said, heading for the door. Before he made it all the way though, he turned back. “__, listen. I don’t hate your touch. I’m just… sorting through some stuff.”
The girl nodded. “I know.”
Rui immediately felt lighter. “And stay here, okay? No matter what. I’ll walk you home tonight. Don’t go before then.”
She nodded again, her cheeks a little red. “Okay.”
Rui took one more look at her before rushing out the door, hand going towards his belt.
The anomalies have been getting more and more violent, he realized as he trudged back home after a narrow victory against tonight’s beast. He willed his feet to go faster, not wanting to keep __ waiting. It was pretty late by this time, and he wondered if she was still in his apartment. He had placed an anomalous barrier around his unit, so it was the only place he knew she’d be safe. He prayed she was still there, but the way his leg was bent backwards made it a long time before he found out.
Rui let out a sigh of relief when he saw a light emanating from his unit. When he got to the door, he already had an apology on his lips.
“__, I’m sorry I—”
His words were cut short when he noticed that she was curled up on his couch, a throw blanket covering her sleeping shoulders.
Rui softened and legs finally gave out, making him collapse onto the floor. Despite his body’s cry for first aid, he pulled himself towards her. Tentatively, he reached out one finger.
__ had always been so patient and honest with him, always keeping her word and making him feel welcome without expecting anything in return. His mind drifted back to their earlier conversation and how he let his past ruin his present and hurt __. He pursed his lips together and, with more determination, willed his finger forward until it came into contact with one of hers. He let out a breath and felt her warmth spread through the single point of contact.
He wondered if she would understand if he told her the truth.
Rui chose a table in a cafe, placing a latte in front of himself and a scone in front of the seat across from him. He could hear whispering voices around him and eyes digging into his skin. He could disappear into the shadows with his artifact, but today, he had to wait. She’d be here soon anyway.
“Rui!”
His gaze popped up from his lap at the sound of her voice. He smiled as she took her seat.
“Hope you like scones,” he said. “I don’t remember you ever bringing coffee to class, but I know you like sweets.”
“Sure do, thanks,” she affirmed.
At that moment, a girl with bleached hair bounced over to his table.
“Hey there, Handsome.”
“Um…” Rui tugged his gloves further up his wrist, and his stomach churned. His eyes darted to __ and found her staring.
“Can I get your number?” the girl asked bravely, shifting her weight onto his table and tipping her phone towards him.
“Excuse me,” interrupted __.
The girl turned to look at her, annoyed and whipping her hair into Rui’s face in the process. “What?”
“I’m literally right here.”
“So? Are you like his girlfriend or something?”
“Yes,” __ said calmly.
The girl scoffed. “Whatever. Guys have time for two anyway, and I can show him a much better time.”
She turned her attention back to Rui who was as red as a tomato. “I-I would never!” he exclaimed.
“Lame,” she tched and stood to leave. “What a waste of time.”
Rui let out a breath when she was finally gone. He could not figure out why he was like this now when honey-laden words used to easily flow from his lips. It was frustrating, especially with how the world began to spin as he ruminated over how all he could do in that situation was sit there like a fool. He could hear a high pitched noise crescendo in his ears until—
“Are you alright?” __ asked, snapping him out of his head.
He still felt kind of dizzy and like his skin was crawling, but it wasn’t anything he wanted to concern her with. “Yeah, that was just weird. Thanks for sending her off.”
__ pressed together her lips. “You know…” she began slowly, “that was a stressful encounter. I think you handled that really well.”
“Thanks? I didn’t do anything though.”
__ shook her head. “You were polite to her even though you didn’t have to be. I think she appreciates it even if she doesn’t realize it. You really did the best possible things with the given situation.”
“Thanks…” A different kind of heat crept up Rui’s neck.
“Do you want to go somewhere else? I can wrap up the scone in a napkin,” __ offered.
“No, it’s okay. The cafe is pretty.” Besides, he realized focusing on her voice made all the other voices melt away. All the eyes prying at him were fine as long as hers was on him too, keeping him safe like a childhood blanket.
“You know,” he said, taking a more cheery tone, “I used to be a huge flirt back in Darkwick.”
“Really?” __ laughed along.
“Seriously. But alas, my youthful days are behind me.”
__ rolled her eyes humorously. “You must have had a lot of girlfriends then.”
“Nah, I just liked to put on a show.”
“So no girlfriend? Not even one?” __ raised an eyebrow.
Unknowingly, Rui’s heart rate began to speed up. “Why do you ask?”
“Have you looked in a mirror?”
Rui choked on his latte at her response. “I, um, uh, t-thanks.”
__ laughed again and handed him a napkin. The conversation flowed elsewhere, but her words stayed in Rui’s brain.
“That means she finds me attractive, right?” he asked an anomaly that night as he sliced its neck with his scythe.
“Maybe she just meant objectively. Like I guess my face is pretty symmetrical, and I did a pretty good job with my haircut this time,” he contemplated with his shower head while lathering shampoo.
Or maybe, he thought while spitting out his toothpaste, “As a man?”
“I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but the possibility isn’t zero, right?” he mumbled into his pillow.
Rui had gone mad. He must have. He didn’t know if it was due to all those late night anomaly hunts or all the spinal pathways Dr. Bee had him memorize, but one way or another, he had gone mad. Otherwise, there was no way he just blurted out what he did.
“Can I hold your hand?”
__ looked up from her notes from across Rui’s coffee table. Her eyes blinked in surprise.
“I-I mean! I-I was just thinking I should get over my fear of physical contact, y’know? Like it’s probably good if I go into a career with patient interaction. And like, in general, it’s probably good to be able to be a normal person!” he rambled, waving his hands in the air erratically.
__ stifled a laugh. “Sure,” she agreed.
Rui froze while still in a strange pose. “Wait, really?”
“I don’t see why not. If it will help you, I’ll hold your hand any time.” __ shifted her laptop to her left and slid her right hand across the table. She then turned her attention back to her screen.
Rui’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her fingers. They looked so dainty and fragile. He felt like he could hurt her just by touching them even without his curse. Still, she said it was okay, and Rui knew he had to do this. No, he wanted to do this. Gingerly, he slid his own hand across the table.
It’s okay, he told himself. The curse is gone, and I’m still wearing gloves.
At long last, he managed to brush his fingertips against hers. Almost instinctively, he flinched back, but __ reached forward and grabbed his hand with hers. Her hand was on top of his, applying a firm pressure that felt like it was grounding him. Slowly, Rui allowed himself to relax.
The two stayed like that for a while, silently with the only sound being the clicking of keys and the turning of pages. That was, until __ spoke up.
“You are normal.”
“What?”
“I said you are a normal person,” she replied, referring to what he said earlier. “Even if you have haphephobia, you’re still normal.”
“I’m not what you think I am…” Rui mumbled towards his lap.
“Rui.”
He looked back up at her, pasting on a wide smile. “I was just kidding earlier. I know I’ve got a thing, but it doesn’t bother me too much.”
“Rui,” she said again, ignoring his words. “And even if you’re not, I still like you the way you are, and I will be here for you even when you feel like I shouldn’t be.”
His jaw hung open as she continued to hold him with his gaze. After a while, he bit his lip and choked out, “Do you believe in demons and curses?” He unconsciously held her hand tighter.
“No.”
He felt his heart drop and his grip fade.
__ re-adjusted his hand in hers. “But I will if you tell me they exist.”
That hardly made any sense. “Why?”
“Because I trust you. And if it is something you went through, and if I want to understand you better—which I do—then it is crucial I believe it too.”
Rui couldn’t help but look at her incredulously. She had either got to be a saint or a complete fool. “How can you trust me that much?” Especially when he had done nothing but lie about his entire identity?
__ shrugged. “Maybe because I see the desperation in your eyes for someone to. Or maybe because even you won’t give yourself the benefit of the doubt.”
“You shouldn’t… I’m not who you think I am.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gate in the tears that threatened to fall.
“I know you are someone who wants the best for me, no matter the cost. Am I wrong?” she said gently.
“No,” he choked out honestly, “you’re not.”
“Then that’s good enough for me.”
How could that be good enough for her? Surely, anyone—let alone someone so kind hearted—deserved someone who wasn’t a life-sucking, demon-eating, pathological liar. Someone like __ didn’t deserve all his fabricated stories and emotional baggage.
“I’m sorry.” He felt a tear slide down his nose and the dam quickly completely breaking soon after. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
__ walked around the table with his hand still in hers and sat beside him. She leaned his head against her shoulder which he did not resist nor flinch against.
“I’m sorry,” he continued sobbing, letting all the lies he told eat at him. He recalled every excuse he told her when Darkwick called and the stories he’d spin when he returned. He recalled telling her the fake background story Darkwick made up for him and her memorizing every detail. Everything she knew about him was a lie. Everything except how he felt.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated weakly when all his strength had left him through tears.
“I know, and it’s okay,” she said, making him feel like everything really was.
“I like you… so much,” he mindlessly mumbled incoherently.
__ shifted his weight as Rui began to droop more and more.
“Tell me about a curse,” she prompted him.
“Well, there is this one with a grim reaper…”
He told her stories, real ones, until his words began to slur and his consciousness gave into her warmth.
Rui woke up to a ray of sun shining through the window. He realized he was on the ground with his head on a pillow and a sheet pulled over his torso.
“__?” he called when he realized her presence.
The girl quickly ran her hand across her eyes and turned to him. “You’re awake. Sorry about the floor; I couldn’t lift you into bed.”
“That’s fine,” he assured her. His brows furrowed when he took a closer look at her. “__, is everything okay?”
She took his bedding and quickly turned away. “Y-yeah.”
Rui frowns. “Hn.”
That was enough to get __ to whip around. Her eyes were definitely red. “Y-you!”
“Me?” Rui blinked.
Another tear slipped down __’s cheek which sent a wave of panic through Rui.
“Why’d you have to go through all that?” she wailed, pointing at her laptop.
Rui followed her finger and saw multiple tabs on the grim reaper’s curse.
“You spent all night crying for me?” He felt his heart swell.
__ mumbled something incoherent and threw the pillow at his face. Rui couldn’t help the smile that spread across his features. He took the blanket from her and tossed it onto the couch. To both their surprise, he then moved to wrap her into a hug.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“We can’t dawdle; we got a test today,” __ complained weakly.
“You’re not letting go either,” Rui chuckled, feeling her arms tighten around him.
“One more minute,” she bargained.
After a while and after they had freshened up, Rui grabbed his bag to meet __ by the door. He went to open it when he felt a tug on his hand. He turned to see what was wrong.
__ cleared her throat. “L-let’s go,” she said, not letting go as a blush spread across her face.
Rui was about to reply when a familiar ping sounded in his pocket.
“Do you need to get that?” __ asked with a frown.
Rui looked at their hands. “No, it’ll be fine,” he decided. “We’ve got a test.”
The way __’s face brightened increased his confidence in his decision.
“Let’s go!”
‘Darkwick: Unknown HIGH energy anomaly detected nearby. Response required IMMEDIATELY.’
The room was silent save for the scritching of pencils on paper. Rui’s phone was completely turned off and stored in his bag. Not exactly pressured to do well, Rui allowed himself to shift his gaze over to the girl beside him. Her brows were slightly furrowed in concentration, and her lips were pressed into a little frown. Rui smiled to himself, finding everything about her adorable. He was about to turn back to his paper when—
BANG!
It happened in a split second. The roof collapsed as something huge, black, and sharp swung down. Before Rui could even react, the object impaled through __’s neck. She immediately lost all consciousness: her arms dangled down, pencil rolling away to who-knows-where. She laid pinned face-down into the desk in front of her.
“__!!!” Rui rushed to her side as the fire alarm started blaring and people ran for their lives. Rui reached for the black blade sticking out from her back, and a familiar energy surged through him. That was when he realized there was no blood, despite the traumatic injury. The memory of that morning’s text from Darkwick flitted into mind followed by fear and regret. He looked up at whatever was wielding the weapon, knowing exactly what to expect.
“Shinigami.”
The creature reared its giant head towards Rui. Its eye curved into hideous crescents when it recognized him.
“yOU! YoU’rE thE oNe whO kiLLeD my sErvAnT!”
“What do you want?” Rui demanded.
“I’m HunGrY! I nEEd EnerGY! SUCK MORE ENERGY!”
With that, the creature moved to lift its synth. Rui acted quickly, holding down the spiritual blade. He knew it would pull __’s soul out with it, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.
“wHat. Let gO!”
“Release her!” commanded Rui. The blade of death sank deeper into his skin the tighter he held on.
“nO! ThaT’s my fOOd!”
“I’ll carry your curse again!” he bargained, voice cracking in pain and desperation. “I’ll eat for you! I’ll kill for you! Just let her go!”
“You’VE beTRAyed ME!”
With that, the reaper turned into dust and rushed towards Rui. The ghoul got knocked off his feet as the creature flooded into him through his eyes, mouth, and ears. Rui could feel himself eroding from the inside, but perhaps due to his supernatural body or the tolerance he built from hosting the curse all these years, he was able to fight off the anomaly for the moment.
With a cry, Rui threw himself towards __. He released __’s soul from the now-abandoned synth and flung it to the side. The wound in __’s neck disappeared like it was never there, but the girl laid motionless still on the table.
“What?” With the grim reaper inside him now, he could feel __’s life buzzing under his fingers. Why wasn’t she waking up? He couldn’t see the state of her soul with his current physical eyes. He had to escape his current limitations if he wanted to see what was wrong.
“Damn it!” he cried. His attention shifted to the synth he casted aside. He only hesitated for a second before he plunged the blade into his chest. He ignored the shearing pain as he ripped his soul out of his body.
Once outside his physical confinement, he could see __’s soul. To add to his current panic, he realized see was littered with cracks.
“N-no,” Rui whimpered. He reached a hand out only for it to go straight through __.
To add to the list of problems, Rui’s body began to move. Its arm cranked up into the air followed by the body then the head. At last, it was fully standing. It smiled widely as it opened its eyes. Instead of the usual pink irises, a black void sat in the sockets.
“This feels amazing,” cackled the reaper, flexing Rui’s muscles. “Thanks for leaving this behind.”
Rui snapped his head towards his body. “What did you do to her?”
“Oh that?” The reaper took its time rolling out Rui’s neck. “That happens to normal souls when they have my synth in them long enough. You truly are special to be in such an intact state yourself.”
“Fix her!” he demanded. “You have to undo this!”
“Calm down,” waved the reaper. “Aren’t you even concerned about your body being taken over?”
“Don’t try to change the topic!”
“She must be someone very important.” Its uncanny smile spread even wider across its face. “But no matter how much you beg, there’s nothing I, the bringer of death, can do to heal a soul.”
“There HAS to be—”
“But!” the creature interrupted. “You can.”
“What?”
“I sense there is something else in here that’s after your soul. Something with just enough power to heal a soul.”
“My stigma?” Rui’s stigma had never been a strong one. Whereas his colleagues were able to command an army or run at the speed of sound, he was only able to alleviate minor pains and fatigue. To heal a soul? Rui had never even considered such a possibility.
“Bingo!” sang the thing. “I’m not sure why you kept trying to heal physical injuries when that’s not even what it’s for.”
Rui whipped towards __’s broken form. “Then I can save her.”
“Yesss,” agreed the reaper.
Rui missed the glint in its hollow eyes. Instead, he stood before __ and gathered all his energy. “I can do this,” he told himself. “I have to.” He chanted his incantation and blew as hard as he could a storm of golden dust over the girl. When he saw the dust slowly mending the cracks in her soul, Rui felt the tension around his heart slowly begin to relax.
“AHAHAHA!” cackled the anomaly, signaling the end of Rui’s celebration.
The ghoul heard a crack and looked down to see his own soul cracking. “What is happening?”
“You can’t heal anything with a demon’s power, you fool!” it cackled. “You just suck up their pain. Thanks to my curse, you always had enough energy to never notice it before, but now, you have no such luxury. Kind of ironic, isn’t it? With both the ghoul’s and reaper’s curse, you could have done such great things. But you just had to break it, didn’t you? And for what?” it sneered. “To hold a girl’s hand?”
“Oh,” said Rui.
The reaper looked at him in surprise, not expecting such a mellow response. It followed Rui’s eyes as he looked at his own cracking hands then at __.
Silently, Rui treaded to __. Slowly, she began to shift in her seat.
“Mnnhg,” she stirred. She then blinked once, twice, three times.
“__…” breathed Rui.
When she finally came to, she looked at him. No, not at him, but rather through him.
“Rui?” she said.
Rui opened his mouth to reply, but a voice spoke behind him. His voice. “You’re awake! You hit your head during the earthquake. I was so worried!”
__’s lips spread into a smile, one that was supposed to be meant for him. “I’ll be okay. Since you’re here.”
“What’s happening?” he gasped, either unable or unwilling to grasp the situation. “You can’t— You can’t pretend to be me!”
Rui watched as his body brushed some hair out of __’s face and her leaning into its chest. “And I will always be here for you.”
“I’m kind of sleepy,” she mumbled.
“Then sleep. I’ll be right here.” The anomaly held __ close to it as it smirked in Rui’s direction. The latter could only stare, bewildered, as a crack formed across his face.
loosely related to this, but not necessarily a continuation
Warnings: angst with a bit of fluff, pining, pining, pining, PINING, did I say pining? I'm sorry I make you suffer so much in my fics, Rui......
Rui was never one to walk around with his hands stuffed inside his pockets. No, he was always too confident for that, too self-assured. He was as poised as a lion – head held high, unafraid of occupying space.
He couldn't touch anyone anyway, so why should he refrain himself from being as loud with his personality as possible? He was just all bark, no bite after all.
Yet with you, he quickly figured out he had to shove his hands deep, deep inside his pants’ pockets, all to quell the urge of reaching out to you. He figured his brain would shut off at any time and only his instincts would prevail – the burning desire to touch you being the only thing left on his blank mind.
So he bound himself, or at least as much as he could in a way that wouldn't appear insane.
Still, as you walked beside him, his eyes flitted from your lips to your eyes and to your hands that swung back and forth, back and forth – he couldn't do anything but be painfully aware of your presence, right there beside him; just a few centimeters away, yet still untouchable.
You had given him the grace of your presence during a short, simple mission outside, and now he cursed himself for inviting you for a short walk before going back into the campus.
He had no idea it'd be so hard to walk with you without intertwining his fingers in yours.
Rui felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up as he suppressed a shiver. How long has it been since the last time he has touched someone with intent? How long has it been since he had been touched? His touch starvation was barely acknowledged at this point, because it had become who he was. He didn't exist without it. Just like breathing, it was his nature. It clogged his pores, ran in his veins and invaded his lungs. Much like a chronic disease one has to learn to live with, despite how agonizing it is.
His medicine was to be distant. To keep everyone at arm's length, so he'd never be affected by the torture of longing.
He kept Haru and Romeo at arm's length, restricting his role to just being their bartender.
He kept Lyca at arm's length, just caring for him like a dutiful but distant parent.
He kept Ed at arm's length, but it didn't matter – he kept himself isolated anyway.
He even kept his old best friend at arm's length – Haku, whom Rui avoided like the plague. He thanked what little mercy the Heavens had for him, for Haku knew when to mind his business. He knew not to pry.
And despite all his efforts, you appeared. Burrowing your way through his walls until you had found your place in his mind.
However, his name on your lips didn't sound damned and, for the first time in so long, he found himself wishing for a cure for his plight. Wishing he could find that wretched anomaly and then finally drop his peaceful act – he'd rip its head off and drink its blood if it meant he could touch you.
Rui laughed darkly to himself. What would even happen if he actually touched you? He would probably be so pathetically excited that he could feel your seemingly soft skin under his hands that he'd end up cumm–
“Rui!” you barked, snapping your fingers in front of his face. He interrupted that forbidden thought immediately.
“Yes, sweetie?”
You huffed, brows creasing on your forehead.
“Did you hear anything I said?”
Rui laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his luscious hair.
“Sorry cutie, I was a bit lost in my thoughts there. What did you say?”
“I said I wanna go to an arcade. I want to have a go at the claw machines.”
Rui frowned.
“Claw machines? You know those things are, like, scams right? They're rigged!”
“Oh my god, Rui” you snorted, and Rui swore he could drown at any given moment due to his suffocating affection for you. “You sound like a worried dad! And don't worry, I know all about claw machines and how to win.”
You smiled devilishly, rubbing your hands together like a little imp ready to cause problems.
“Um…” Rui grimaced, delighting himself with all your expressions, but mildly worried. “You're not gonna, like… Try to kick them or steal something, are you? I know I am your ride or die, darling, but we'd be in big trouble if we ACTUALLY broke the law, you know…”
You raised an eyebrow.
“What are you even talking about, Rui? I just meant I know the strategies to win.”
His lips formed an 'o'.
“Ohhh, I see! I thought for a second that you were up to no good!”
“Me?” you scoffed. “Never. I'm an angel.”
You said it sarcastically, but, to Rui, that's what you were. An angel, a saint, a deity. He was ready to kneel on nails if it meant he could worship you.
Rui watched you make your merry way towards a shiny and loud arcade, with rows upon rows of claw machines right next to the entrance.
It felt good to turn off his racing thoughts by thinking of harmless little fun things with you.
Even if you were the main reason for said racing thoughts.
If you wanted to play with claw machines, by all means, he would play them all until you got sick of it. Although he still thought they were rigged.
Rui leisurely walked behind you, watching while you scanned every machine for something of interest.
His heart warmed at the sight of you pressing your nose to the glass, tip-toeing to see the mess of plushies a bit better. You'd also click your tongue and pout, walking towards the next machine, disappointed with the selection of dolls.
You were just too cute. How would he ever survive you?
“Oh! Look at that! Rui, look!” You said, after perusing through that endless corridor a bit more. Apparently something pretty had finally caught your eye and Rui made his way towards you to take a peek as well.
“Did you find something cute?”
“Yeah, look at that!”
He followed your gaze, and was met with a black bunny plushie – its eyes were made of black buttons held tightly by white threads, with a long white ribbon wrapped around its neck. It wasn't anything too impressive (there were many other plushies in there that definitely looked a lot more striking), but he wouldn't say it wasn't cute.
“Are you going to try to get that little guy? Isn't he a lucky one, being chosen by you.” Rui winked, relishing in the way you rolled your eyes, already immune to his flirting.
“Yup. Gonna get that one.” you said, decisively, picking a few stray coins from your pocket.
“Allow me to help then.” Rui picked up his own wallet and you shook your head.
“You don't have to.”
“I want to. It will kinda officially turn this into a date AND I can call the plushie our son if I help you get it.” he smirked, fishing out a few coins and then placing them right next to the machine's slot.
You side-eyed Rui, before you allowed a smile to spread across your face.
“You're impossible.” you said, shaking your head while you placed the first coin into the slot and began playing, laughter warming your voice like tea with honey.
He'd love to drink only that for the rest of his life.
“Is that a ‘yes, Rui, this is now a date and I accept you as the father of my child’?” He gasped dramatically, placing his hand over his heart.
You hummed, as if you were in deep thought.
“Maybe.”
The first attempt at the claw machine failed, but you were quick to insert another coin.
“I promise to take good care of our kid.”
“I will ask for child support if you don't.”
Nice. He had successfully strung you along that little joke. He was going to unabashedly use that plushie as an excuse to see you far more frequently. Bonding time between parents and son, right?
You clicked your tongue. Second attempt failed as well.
It's okay, Rui thought. He had plenty more coins in his wallet to keep you trying. Now getting that rabbit was a matter of life or death to him.
The third time's the charm.
Rui watched the bunny precariously dangle from the weak claws of the machine, holding his breath as you slowly moved the claw towards the opening, where you finally dropped the plushie. It fell easily, barely making a sound.
You jumped and pumped a fist into the air, celebrating your victory. You quickly turned to Rui and he saw the way your arm went back, as if you were preparing to high five him – before you awkwardly dropped it, when you remembered that you simply couldn't.
Did he truly need so many reminders of how he couldn't touch your fucking hand?
Rui shifted on his feet, smiling awkwardly, and motioned for you to grab your prize. Despite the bitterness in his chest, he wasn't going to let his godforsaken curse ruin his date. Nor any single moment with you. Not if he could help it.
He wasn't sure if he could actually help it, though. Not when he observed the way your fingers touched the plushie, gently feeling the softness of its black, velvety coat.
He gulped, eyebrows scrunching upwards.
It was painful, to have this much longing for you lodged deep inside his guts. It clawed and ate everything around it, until there was nothing else left and all Rui could feel was pure desperation.
He wanted you. So fucking bad. Some nights – when he couldn’t sleep, and all chores had been done, and his own touch was more of a humiliation than a quick, unsatisfying reprieve – it felt like dying might be more of a mercy than having to live with you by his side everyday and not having you to himself.
He wouldn't die at all, though. And in the morning, he would still choose to have you close every single time.
Despite coming to terms with his own feelings, Rui suddenly felt a wave of disgusting jealousy wash over him when you brought the plushie's shiny nose to your lips.
Those lips he admired so obviously whenever you drank a pretty little concoction of his own in his bar's glasses.
His mind ran miles per hour, sharp tongue ready to spit some bitter quip about your kiss, even if he knew that being jealous of an inanimate object was absurd, when he was inmediately shut by your actions.
You had pushed the bunny's nose into his own lips.
Rui's eyes widened, and he stared down at you as you slowly retracted the plushie and cradled it into your arms. He blinked, stupidly, rendered speechless. All his mind could focus on was the indirect kiss you two had just shared.
Meanwhile, you seemed to find hilarious how dumbstruck he was by your actions.
“What? We do have to kiss our son's little nose, don't we? He needs to know he's loved by his parents.” You teased, a smug smile plastered onto your face as you brought back the little joke he had created.
The spell had turned against the sorcerer who cast it.
A beat passed, while you watched him blink and gather himself.
“Huh…” Rui managed to blurt out and you laughed.
While you grabbed one of the rabbit's paws, you held out the doll towards him, offering the other paw.
You nodded your head towards the plushie when Rui didn't move.
“Come on. It's only natural for parents to hold their kid's hands while they walk back home, isn't it?” you explained, still finding his reaction extremely amusing.
After a few long seconds, Rui rubbed his face with his hands, barking out a laugh into them. He slowly dragged his fingers down his face, pulling it into a scowl, until he let his arms fall to the side and shook his head, still chuckling.
“You're the one who's impossible.” Rui murmured, half amused and half pained, as he grabbed the plushie's other paw.
You shrugged, grinning, as you slowly began to make your way out of the arcade and back to Darkwick – the plushie between the two of you throughout the entire way.
A buffer between your hands.
In a different world, Rui thought bitterly while you two walked quietly, there would be no need for a silly little doll between you.
In a different world, he'd latch himself onto you in his every waking moment. Even if he had the most boring days, the most mundane chores to fulfill – he would bring you with him, chasing your presence constantly. A sunflower chasing the sun's rays.
In a different world, he would make sure he would never have to fold his laundry alone ever again.
And he would memorize the texture of your favorite shirt and the scent of the one fabric softener that made you linger a little bit longer in his hugs, only to breathe him in deeply.
And he would wash the dishes and give them to you, so you'd carefully place them in the cupboard. All while talking about whether you'd like to adopt one cat and one dog, or two cats and two dogs – and you'd probably think the more the merrier. Rui knew he'd end up cleaning most of their mess, but your happiness would be worth it.
And you'd make bitter coffee on rainy days, and he'd love to do nothing else but place his chin on your shoulder while you two watched the downpour; swaying gently to the sound of a silent music only you two knew of.
And he would love to travel with you to small villages and big cities, but his biggest happiness would be to lay his head down on his trusty pillow and look at you right beside him, snoozing softly in your shared old bed. His back would hurt, the mattress had to be changed, but he'd hide the pain because the memories of nights spent awake talking and kissing and touching your body were too precious.
And, oh, how would he touch your body, especially in those moments in which you were on your knees between his legs, like an angel, and sucking him dry, like a sinner.
Rui shook his head. He could not let his thoughts wander that path. Not if he wanted to keep walking with you and listening to you point out all the cafes you'd like to visit some other time.
Nothing like a raging hard on to ruin the walk back to Darkwick, he thought, chuckling darkly to himself.
Rui went to look at the small plushie that connected you two, only to be met with your eyes staring at him, his heart skipping a beat like all the times in which he looked at you before.
In that moment, he allowed himself to wonder if you dreamed of a mundane life with him as well. If you wanted him on his knees, shackled in devotion to you for the rest of your lives.
And in your smile and the endless pool of your eyes, he swore he could see a longing that mirrored his.
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I have crafted a captain swap so hilarious to me I need to talk about it so here's the stupidest thing ever.
Frostheim: Yuri
Vagastrom: Jin
Jabberwock: Ed
Sinostra: Alan
Hotarubi: Taiga
Obscuary: Haru
Mortkranken: Subaru
My insane ramblings below the cut.
My basic premise is that one day Darkwick is like. In order to promote harmony across the houses and establish rapport with one another we will be assigning captains to a new house for the next month. And then they do that. And it all falls apart immediately.
Frostheim
Yuri voice ill never go back. And then Darkwick is like okay you're too biased against them go make up!! And Yuri seethes so hard something in his body pops.
First off, nooo way he gets along with Tohma or feels comfortable in Jin's room. Secondly, Kaito? Kaito. Literally no way that guy won't scream every other day. It's not even that he dislikes Yuri, it's just that the rumors are too Big for Kaito not to freak out every single time. And Luca of course will not help this concern ever, and will ask for Yuri's history and why he seems so familiar with Frostheim stuff, and Yuri will have to decide how far morals can carry him.
Somehow someway everyone in this scenario comes out appreciating Jin just like. A smidge more. His Frostheim runs as smoothly as Yuri's Frostheim but there's something slightly more dignified about it.
Vagastrom
I really just need a Jin Leo bitch off. Leo trying to get info from Jin except he soundproofed his room again, Jin not giving a shit about what the two of them do which makes it considerably less fun despite neither Sho nor Leo being willing to admit that, Jin using his stigma when MC is around to force Leo to do things. It's technically functional, like Vagastrom doesn't fall to chaos after Jin asserts his dominance on day one, but it's like. Everyone misses Alan so bad. So bad. Sho and Leo would never admit it to his face but they prefer their captain over Jin even if most things haven't really changed.
Also I think the only reasons Jin would leave his room is if Leo was bothering him too much and even then it would take a bit. I think Sho's life wouldn't be changed a whole lot but he'd miss the sparring and also find Jin's philosophy like.... not strange or bad but too different???? Like yeah it's annoying to spar every day but it's also fun. That's his enrichment...
Jabberwock
This is what inspired it all. The exact sequence of events was that I thought to myself, wouldn't it be funny if Ed was in Jabberwock since it's usually pretty sunny and it requires a lot of work? And then I thought, and also Towa is there. And then I remembered Towa hates Ed and I laughed so hard I cried trying to envision Ed announcing that he's replacing Haru for the time being and Towa trying to electrocute him.
Ren and Ed would also be funny because as long as Ed leaves Ren alone I'm sure he'd be fine. And doubly so if he draws Towa's attention away from him. But I can't tell if after that it'd be funnier if Ren gets annoyed because Ed is actually high maintenance and if Towa isn't doing it then Ren definitely has to. And he'd hate that. OR Ed has seen all his movies and knows all his games and keeps trying to talk to him about it but in a way that pisses him off about it and he's like mad about that. Either way I can't imagine anyone in this house is happy about this arrangement and it's killing me to imagine.
Sinostra
You'll have to stick with me for this one because it's a very specific dynamic in my mind that I'm not very good at articulating but basically. Romeo is at first glad Taiga can't mess things up anymore (even though deep down he misses him) and glad Alan is capable of scaring people straight just by Looking but then Alan is like hey this operation isn't very honorable. It's a low blow to threaten and intimidate and cheat. And then they butt heads about it endlessly.
Which is why Ritsu has to come in and be the equalizer but Alan can't take him seriously because he's like you're way too skinny you have no muscle what is your diet what's your trianing like. Spar with me. And Ritsu, embarrassed and offended, is like ILL HAVE YOU KNOW IM WORKING ON IT. And Alan genuinely offers to help but Ritsu is too used to Taiga and lowkey assumes Alan is making fun of him. And Alan is sincere. So he keeps going.
Hotarubi
PLEASEEEE PICTURE IT. THINK ABOUT IT. Think about the Haku Taiga prologue dynamic and make that daily life. Now add in the fact that Hotarubi is meant to be traditional Japanese themes with grace and tranquility and then imagine Taiga is there and try to tell me that's not the funniest shit ever.
And then add in Zenji. We already know Taiga can see or sense more than others so I would bet everything he could probably sense Zenji in some way, which he honestly probably wouldn't care about but I think he'd care a lot about the doll or the biwa. Basically I think he'd try to eat it. I think he'd try to eat something and it would be chaos and hilarious and please just imagine the three of them together. Please. Please. Please.
Obscuary
House Simulator. This is the only truly fully functioning house with no problems outside of Lyca complaining about noise and annoyances and so on so forth. And that is because Rui and Haru are so used to doing like 100% of the work all the time that they both try to do it and end up finishing all the work in half the time since they've split it and now they randomly have free time??? And it's so strange??
Haru helps with breakfast and cleaning and taking care of the animals and chores and so forth and Rui helps with Peekaboo and relieving Haru's exhaustion and it's basically such a functioning pair that it's almost scary. Like Lyca is scared. But also Haru smells bad and is too high energy and LOUDDD so he's in his rebellious teenage phase atm.
Only downside is that Haru has too much bar access and has to be cut off but it's a small price to pay for a house that isn't up in flames by day one. Unfortunately it can't last bc Haru would miss his animals and Rui would feel too worried about hurting Haru so when they swap back both have made peace with it. And Lyca will still kick rocks they couldn't have Subaru.
Mortkranken
I think Subaru would become a legend very quickly but not because he's this secret medical genius but because he seems to have this uncanny ability to guess things. And the secret is that he is using his stigma fully on accident and seeing what they were up to and then Jiro is figuring it out from there. And he keeps trying to give Jiro credit but nobody will listen.
He's also squeamish. Like he can't handle blood so when Jiro is like 'Move that to the other table please' Subaru is happy to and moves this weird lump under a sheet and the sheet falls off and its a severed arm and Subaru faints. and Jiro laughs for a second before putting Subaru on the table and making sure he's like actually okay. And they are both very patient with one another and very cordial. But it's so so awkward. And Subaru honest to god does not know how to take care of Jiro and is constantly having to ask Yuri how to do things except Yuri is always occupied by Frostheim so Subaru has to follow Jiro's instructions and they are both praying Every Day.
And that's also why they're both happy when its over. Not because it was bad or they dislike each other but bc they're both glad Yuri will come back and it won't be Does Jiro Die Today Roulette. and then Subaru goes to Haku and grabs his shoulders and is likep lease do not start dying ill cry right in front of you forever. and Haku just nods slowly.
No one considered Jin an emotional guy. Being dubbed the ice king and all, everyone imagined him with his perpetual scowl. Thus it is quite the shock when tears start streaming down his face as he watches his fiancée walk down the aisle. Void of his usual pride, he makes no effort to hide his face, instead opting to keep his eyes locked on his beautiful bride. Even as the officiant drones on with his speech, Jin stands there, shaking like a leaf the entire time. When it is finally time for his vows, he reaches for the mic. "[PC]--" his voice cracks through the amplifier. He lowers his head to try to compose himself, but after finding no relief from standing by himself, he throws his arms around his bride. A ripple of "Aw's" travel across the venue. With a soft smile, the officiant takes the mic from Jin and holds it to his mouth for him to continue his speech.
"I love you. I just love you so, so much... In your arms, I find my home, and in your heart, I find my peace. I vow to walk besides you through life's journey, hand in hand, facing challenges with courage and love. With you, my heart is whole."
turnnoffyourmind
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