pickle wiener

cw: none

word count: 815

notes: this is my first time ever posting the stuff i write so bear with me, i just watched the newest episode of WHA and binge read the series, and im in love. big fan of librarian gojo so i def want to write more in the future with him lolz, (also i lowk bs thru the setting so dont mind that too much)

The sun had barely begun to peak over the rolling hills surrounding the atelier when you awoke, the tiniest rays slowly inching their way through your window gently pulling you from slumber.

For a moment everything was still, the kind of stillness that only existed in early mornings like this one.

A faint winter chill lingered in the air, brushing against your exposed skin and seeping into the room, while outside the wind stirred the hanging chimes, their distant, delicate sound carried through the atelier.

The cold felt sharper than usual only because the space beside you was empty, the warmth you had fallen asleep next to noticeably absent. Somewhere deeper in the house the faint creaking of wood marked Qifrey’s quiet movement through the halls, already awake and moving with familiar purpose.

By the time you rose from bed and made it down the hallway the familiar scent of ink and fresh parchment had reached you. The smell led you to the master work room like an invisible guidance orb, pulling you to your destination, and of course Qifrey.

He sat at the long work table, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, one hand steadying a stack of diagrams while the other carefully drew along a spell in progress. His posture was relaxed in a way that came from years of repetition and hard work, and now you had the pleasure of sitting right beside him as he toiled away.

Qifrey made no move to turn around when you shuffled to the doorway, he didn’t need to.

“You’re awake early,” he said, voice still rough from sleep and yet so gentle at the same time.

“You say that like its unusual,” you replied, finally crossing into the threshold.

“It used to be,” he answered with a hum.

You huffed in amusement as you approach him, eventually standing slightly behind him, and without thinking too much of it, you leaned over his shoulder, just enough to peer at his work. There was no more hesitation between either of you anymore, no careful distance, and no awareness as to what might or might not be appropriate.

Just this.

Qifrey finally looked at you then, and his expression softened in that familiar way when he missed you. “Sleep ok?” he asked. “Decent,” you replied “You were up earlier than normal, why is that?”

A faint smile tugged at his mouth, “I had work.”

“You always have work.”

“And yet,” he replied lightly, “you act surprised.”

You rolled your eyes, but there was no hint of malice in the motion. You reached for a quill to start your own work, brushing your hand with Qifrey’s for only a second and he paused.

Then he reached for your hand and caught your fingers more deliberately this time, making you drop the quill onto the desk with a faint clatter. He lifted your palm in his and his brow furrowed faintly.

“You’re freezing,” he said.

“It’s Winter,” your replied plainly.

“It shouldn’t be this cold indoors” he countered, and before you could argue further, he brought your hand to his face, not to study or inspect it but simply to warm it. His breath ghosted over your knuckles for a moment before he gently brought them to his mouth.

Warm air, steady and soft, brushed against your skin as he exhaled slowly into your fingers.

You blinked at him. “You don’t have to—”

“I do,” he said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His grip shifted slightly, and before you could react, his other hand slipped around your wrist, guiding your second hand forward as well.

“Both of them,” he added quietly.

You didn’t argue this time.

He repeated the motion, warming your other hand just as carefully—breath soft, unhurried, deliberate in a way that made the cold feel distant, like something that had already passed. Then he gathered both of your hands between his own, rubbing slow warmth back into your fingers.

After a moment, he released you just long enough to tug his sleeves down from where they had been rolled, covering his forearms completely. The fabric fell into place with a soft rustle before he reached for you again, guiding both of your hands beneath the warmth of his sleeves.

“That’s better,” he murmured.

“You should wear something warmer in the mornings,” he added, though there was no real reprimand in his voice.

“What are you, my caretaker?” you muttered.

A faint hum of amusement. “I suppose I am, in some sense.”

Jack Howl x Reader

2.15k words

a/n: one bed trope you will always be famous!

Everything starts when you laugh at Jack Howl in front of his entire Spelldrive team

“You know,” you say, watching him finish practice drills for what feels like the hundredth time, “I’m starting to think you actually like making everyone else look bad.”

Jack wipes sweat from his face with his sleeve and doesn’t look bothered at all.

“If everyone else trained harder, that wouldn’t happen.”

Epel groans loudly from somewhere nearby. “See? This is exactly why nobody likes talkin’ to you after practice.”

“You’re just slow.”

“I’m gonna hit him with a rock,” Epel mutters toward you.

You laugh.

Jack glances at you right away.

Since you can’t help yourself, you grin and say, “I could probably beat you in a race, though.”

The entire field goes silent.

Jack blinks once.

“…No, you couldn’t.”

“Oh, wow. The confidence.”

“It’s not confidence if it’s true.”

“You’re annoying.”

“You brought it up.”

“You’re still annoying.”

You spot a quick hint of amusement on Jack’s face, almost too fast to catch.

“Fine,” he says, crossing his arms. “Race me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Epel immediately perks up. “OH this is gonna end terribly.”

“You’re serious?” you ask.

Jack tilts his head slightly.

“You scared?”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

That’s your first real mistake.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

Your second mistake is agreeing to race him down the mountain trail behind campus.

To be fair, it didn’t seem that bad at first.

When you started, there was only a light snowfall. You could still see the path, the air was cold but not unbearable, and Jack almost looked relaxed standing next to you at the trailhead.

Almost.

“You can still back out,” he’d said.

“Oh my god, shut up.”

“You’re the one who challenged me.”

“You accepted suspiciously fast.”

“That’s because I know I’m gonna win.”

“You are unbelievable.” Jack’s ears twitch a little.

“You’re talking a lot for someone who’s about to lose.”

Then he took off running.

And honestly?

For the first few minutes, it’s fun.

Cold air burns your lungs while snow crunches beneath your boots. You can hear Jack ahead of you occasionally throwing smug little comments over his shoulder.

“You’re slowing down.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

You nearly trip.

Jack immediately doubles back. Concern flashes across his face so quickly and naturally that it catches you off guard.

“You okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

He studies you for a second longer before stepping back again.

“Watch your footing.”

He says it in a surprisingly gentle way.

Something you know is going to linger in the back of your mind.

Unfortunately, that’s around the same time the storm starts getting worse.

At first, it’s subtle.

A little more wind.

Thicker snowfall.

Then, all at once, the whole mountain disappears under a blanket of white.

The temperature drops sharply enough to hurt.

Jack notices before you do.

His posture changes instantly.

No more teasing. He stops racing.

“Stop.”

The firmness in his voice makes you obey automatically.

Snow whips violently around both of you now, obscuring the trail almost completely.

“…Oh,” you say quietly.

“Yeah.”

For the first time all evening, Jack looks genuinely worried.

“We need to head back. Now.”

The walk back should have been easy.

Instead, the storm gets worse much faster than you expect.

Wind screams through the trees. Snow gathers thick around your ankles. Visibility drops lower and lower until Jack is little more than a dark shape beside you.

Still, he never lets you fall behind.

Every few steps, he glances back.

Every few minutes,

“You still with me?”

“Yes.”

“You warm enough?”

“No.”

Jack exhales sharply through his nose before shrugging off his varsity jacket.

You immediately protest.

“Jack, absolutely not.”

“Put it on.”

“You’ll freeze.”

“I won’t.”

“You literally look cold.”

“That’s because it’s snowing.”

“Which means you are cold. Idiot”

“You argue too much.”

“You’re trying to give yourself hypothermia out of chivalry.”

“It’s not chivalry.”

“Then what is it?”

Jack opens his mouth to retort but stops.

His ears flick once in irritation before he shoves the jacket toward you harder.

“…Just put it on.”

As soon as you put it on, you feel warmth all around you.

And somehow, it feels like he’s there too.

The jacket smells like winter air and detergent and cedar and something unmistakably Jack.

Your heart reacts in a way you’d rather not admit.

Jack notices your silence immediately.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

“You’re staring.”

“You smell good.”

The words leave your mouth before your brain can stop them.

Jack nearly chokes.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I- uhm- I did not.”

“You did.”

His face turns bright red right away.

“You’re insane.”

“You’re blushing.”

“It’s cold outside.”

“Mhmmm.”

Jack actually looks offended that you’re laughing. Unfortunately for him, it only makes you laugh harder.

And even with the storm, and despite the cold and the wind getting worse,

You notice the tiniest smile at the corner of his mouth too.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The inn appears like a miracle.

Warm golden light shines through the windows, and snow piles up on the roof.

You practically stumble through the front door.

The elderly woman behind the desk takes one look at the storm and sighs sympathetically.

“Roads are closed tonight.”

“That’s fine,” Jack says immediately. “We just need a room.”

“Luck you, there’s only one room left!”

You both feel a wave of relief.

“One bed.”

Jack freezes next to you so suddenly that you almost laugh.

The poor woman looks between the two of you knowingly.

Jack looks like he’d rather fight the storm again.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The room upstairs is tiny.

One bed shoved against the wall. One flickering heater. One small window rattling from the wind outside.

Jack immediately drops the bags beside the door.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“You absolutely will not.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You say that like you’re not built like an old man.”

Jack looks offended.

“I’m stronger than you.”

“That has nothing to do with your back problems.”

“I don’t have back problems.”

“You stretched for twenty minutes after practice yesterday.”

“That’s normal!”

“You make noises every time you stand up.”

Jack pouts, and you laugh so hard you nearly miss the fact that he’s smiling now, too.

Slight and brief.

But real.

Suddenly, the room feels a lot warmer than it did before.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The heater dies around midnight.

One terrible sputter.

Then silence.

Cold immediately creeps through the room.

You curl tighter beneath the blanket instinctively.

Across the bed, Jack sighs heavily before sitting up.

“…Move over.”

You blink sleepily.

“What?”

“You’re freezing.”

“So are you.”

“I run warm.”

“You’ve said that like six times tonight.”

“Because it’s true.”

“You’re literally shivering.”

Jack ignores that.

Carefully, awkwardly, he shifts closer beneath the blanket until warmth radiates against your side.

Being this close changes everything right away.

You become painfully aware of every little thing.

The warmth of his arm brushing yours.

The steady sound of his breathing.

The way his hair falls messily over his forehead when he’s tired.

Jack goes rigid beside you.

“You keep staring.”

“You’re very pretty.”

Silence.

Then,

“…You can’t just say stuff like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because-”

Jack cuts himself off harshly, clearly frustrated with himself.

You tilt your head slightly.

“Because what?”

Golden eyes flick toward yours briefly before away again.

“Because you make me nervous.”

The confession lands softly between you.

Jack exhales slowly.

“I don’t know how to act around you sometimes,” he admits quietly. “And I hate that.”

Something in your chest soars, then aches.

“Jack-”

“I mean, look at me right now.” He laughs once under his breath. “I can stand up to Leona. Compete in front of crowds. Handle basically anything.”

His ears flatten slightly.

“But you look at me for too long and suddenly I forget how to function.”

Your heart almost stops. Before you can answer, exhaustion finally pulls you under.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

The nightmare comes hard and fast.

Snow.

Cold.

Screaming wind.

You’re running.

Your lungs burn while panic claws violently through your chest.

“Jack!”

No answer.

A sick, heavy fear settles in your stomach.

Then finally,

You see him collapsed in the snow.

Motionless.

Blood staining white beneath him while the storm keeps covering him more and more and—

You wake with a broken gasp.

For one horrible second, the dream still feels real.

Your chest aches.

Your breathing comes too fast.

Beside you, Jack Howl wakes in a groggy haze.

He’s about to start complaining, but then he looks at you. 

He sees your frazzled state and teary eyes.

It alerts him instantly.

“Hey.”

His voice is rough with sleep but steady.

You can’t answer.

Jack’s expression changes the moment he sees your face.

Worry appears on his face right away.

“…Bad dream?”

You nod weakly.

Jack pushes himself upright beside you without hesitation. The blanket has slipped from your shoulders at some point, and before he says anything else, he pulls it back around you carefully.

His hands are warm.

Grounding.

“You’re shaking.”

“It felt real,” you whisper.

Jack’s ears lower slightly.

“What happened?”

You hesitate.

“You got hurt.”

The admission barely leaves your throat.

For a second, Jack says nothing at all.

Wind rattles violently against the windows while snow taps softly against the glass.

Then, more quietly,

“That scared you that bad?”

You laugh weakly despite yourself.

“Kind of, yeah.”

Jack looks down for a moment, thoughtful in that faraway way he sometimes gets. Moonlight shines softly on his face, silver on tan skin and tired eyes.

Then finally, he says,

“…C’mere.”

The words are quiet.

Bordering on awkward.

But genuine.

You move closer slowly, and the second you do, Jack pulls the blanket around both of you more securely until warmth settles between you again.

This close, you can hear the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Feel the warmth radiating from him.

Jack leans back against the headboard slightly, one arm resting loosely behind you like he’s trying to comfort you without making a big deal out of it.

“You know,” he murmurs after a moment, “you’re really bad at hiding when something’s bothering you.”

“You noticed?”

“You looked like you were about to cry.”

“Oh.”

“…Yeah.”

Embarrassment burns instantly across your face.

Jack notices that too.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“You won’t look at me right now.”

“…Maybe a little.”

A quiet huff of amusement leaves him.

You finally glance toward him.

Jack’s expression has softened completely now, all the usual sharpness gone from it.

When Jack cares, he cares with his entire heart.

“You wanna know something?” he asks quietly.

“Hm?”

“When we got stuck out there earlier…” He pauses briefly. “I was more scared for you than myself.”

Jack looks away toward the storm outside.

“I kept thinking if something happened to you because I agreed to that stupid race, I’d never forgive myself.”

The honesty in his voice hits you even harder than the nightmare. His jaw tightens slightly. “I know you can handle yourself. I know you’re not weak.” A faint breath leaves him. “But the idea of losing you still scared the hell out of me.”

Silence settles softly between you.

Not uncomfortable.

Just full of everything you haven’t said yet.

Heavy with everything neither of you has said properly yet.

Then quietly, you ask,

“Is that why you kept checking if I was still behind you?”

Jack’s ears flick once.

“…Maybe.”

“You were worried.”

“I said maybe.”

“You gave me your jacket.”

“You were freezing.”

“You looked ready to fist-fight the weather itself.”

“That storm was annoying me.”

You stare at him flatly.

Jack finally sighs.

“…Fine. I was worried.”

He sounds reluctant, but the way his hand tightens around the blanket gives him away.

Something warm blooms in your chest.

“You care about me a lot, huh?”

Jack freezes immediately.

You watch as he realizes, in real time, that he’s walked right into a trap.

“…Don’t start.”

Your smile widens slightly.

“Oh my god, you do.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re in love with me.”

Jack nearly chokes.

“I did not say that!”

“You didn’t have to.”

His face turns violently red.

You swear that even his ears are red now.

“You are unbelievable,” he mutters, horrified.

But he’s smiling.

It’s small, helpless, and he can’t hide it at all.

You laugh softly, the last remnants of panic finally easing from your chest.

Jack watches you for a second too long after that.

Then, quieter,

“…You’re okay now?”

The gentle way he asks catches you off guard.

You nod slowly.

“Yeah.”

Jack studies your face carefully like he’s making sure you mean it.

Then finally, he relaxes too.

Outside, the storm continues raging against the mountainside.

Inside, wrapped in warmth and soft golden lamplight, Jack hesitates for a moment, then carefully intertwines your fingers under the blanket.

Neither of you teasing or flustered.

SUMMARY: He wanted to take advantage of that collaboration with Foothill Town to have a date with you. However, someone unexpectedly joins you, but that doesn’t stop him from surprising you in the end.

CHARACTERS: Jack Howl x Reader

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Newly Dating; Flirting; Kiss

WARNING: Spoilers from Jack SSR La Bonbonnière

WORD COUNT: 3.060 words

COMMENTS: This was written before the cards were released on the English server, so I based it on @mysteryshoptls translations. And @ Valkyriii on youtube. You can read here the translated Vignette and Voice Lines.

This was also written as a supplement to the vignette’s story, therefore some parts that are identical are summarized.

And this new fanfic series is my way of celebrating 6K Subscribers. Thank you so much! ❤️

I hope you enjoy! 🎂

Notre Petite Bonbonnière: Jamil / Ace / (Jack) / Trey / Jade / Floyd / Rook / Idia / Lilia / Malleus / Cater / Azul / Sebek / Vil / Ruggie / Epel / Silver / Deuce / Kalim / Leona / Ortho / Riddle