#foreign reader

You finally felt like someone saw you as something other than ‘the transfer girl with the unusual accent’. And to Dick, you were so much more. You didn’t expect anything of him. You didn’t expect him to be perfect, you didn’t expect him to be collected all the time. You were one of the only people who seemed to really get him— the only person to see him as Dick Grayson and not Bruce Wayne’s ward or Boy Wonder.

He hasn’t told you his secret yet. Honestly, he’s not sure he should. Not because he couldn’t trust you, no. Because he’d be endangering you with a secret you shouldn’t have to keep. And, while he’d tried to deny the fact, he wanted this part of his life– you, to be kept separate. He wanted this to belong to him. Not to Robin, but to Dick Grayson.

Though, that didn’t stop him from using the Batcomputer to find out your birthday— which he already had a present for.

He enjoyed the feeling of normalcy that came along with you and your presence. Even though others didn’t seem to share his sentiments.

From the moment you two began talking, hushed whispers spread across your year group. ‘Why would he hang around her?’ or ‘I wonder if it’s just because she’s new… out of pity?’ Your classmates made little effort to hide their speculations, often talking right in front of your face. Not that it bothered you. You hardly cared– or that’s what you believed. Truly, why would you care? You weren’t ever going to befriend the ones that speculated or ostracised you. They weren’t worth that extra effort.

But Dick, he was worth every minute. Every extra second you spent after class, in the library or even the courtyard was worth it. You were glad to have someone so open to share your thoughts with.

It was nearing Christmas and the school semester was finally coming to a close for the holidays. You hadn’t planned on returning home this year, to your dismay. Christmas was one of the biggest holidays for your family and you were pretty bummed that you couldn’t spend it with them. You mentioned this to Dick in passing and of course, he always listened. Which led you to your current status.

It’s the first Saturday of the vacation and Dick has taken it upon himself to show you around the better parts of town, the parts that are actually decorated for the holidays. In the past few hours, he’s taken you into several shopping centres to unlock your ‘inner Christmas joy’ as he so gleefully put it. You told him it wasn’t so much about the decorations, but rather the people around you. However, that didn’t stop him from walking out with two bags of ornaments in tow.

If it’s one thing you learnt during your shopping trip, it was: you had to be careful around Dick Grayson.

He always knew what you were thinking of getting. If you even so much as glanced at something for more than two seconds, it’s already in your basket. If you stopped to look at the price tag, dick would wordlessly take it from you, dropping it into your cart and leaving you with only a cheeky smirk. And to no one’s surprise, he beat you to the card machine— somehow, managing to distract you enough with something else in the store that you completely missed the cashier checking everything out. To this moment you don’t know what the sum total came up to.

Now, you two sit in a nearby cafe, nesting steaming coffees in both your hands. It’s a nicely decorated place. Even its pastries were Christmas themed. Festive, good lighting– warm toned lamps lighting the walls. Nothing too harsh on the eyes. An ideal place to rest your feet, you think. Dick sits opposite you, the small distance doing little to hinder the fragrance radiating off him, the same one you’ve complimented a thousand times before. Despite the holiday rush, this cafe was unusually empty this time around save for a few people who placed to-go orders.

“No one really dines in here.” Dick answers your unasked question. “This part of Gotham is filled with busy people— with little to no free time in their schedules.”

“I figured…” You look to a man collecting his drink, too occupied on his phone to even be bothered to thank the barista. “Manners in Gotham are… scanty.” You sip your drink carefully so as to not spill any on your newly bought coat. Also courtesy of Dick.

“Unfortunately. Gothamites aren’t the nicest bunch of people.” Dick offers a small smile, which attaches itself to the frown you didn’t know you were wearing.

“It’s not like that back home. Our people are… a talkative bunch.” you chuckle, remembering the weird instances you’d have with strangers or the conversations you’ve overheard. “Sometimes, too talkative.”

You raise your head to Dick, who’s already looking at you. He takes in all of your words with an expression not unlike admiration. “That must be nice.”

“It is, sometimes. But regardless of where you go, there’s always gonna have the more, uh… unwelcoming set of folks.” You don’t mean to think of school when you say that, but Dick knows. He always does.

He opens his mouth to speak, slowly inching his hand towards yours, but you already know what he’s going to say. “I’m not worried about that. I’m glad we became friends.” Dick shuts his mouth quickly, retracting his hand. He tries to bite back the smile that creeps onto his face, He has his bottom lip tucked between his teeth, fighting the upwards curl of his mouth. It’s cute, you think. And even cuter the way his lip slowly unfurls from beneath his teeth as his facade betrays him. All plumped and red from biting it — or maybe just the weather. Either way, around you— he was never much good at hiding his expressions.

Dick hears what the rest of school thinks of you, despite you hardly doing anything to upset anyone. There were a select few who enjoyed your presence, your quiet kindness, support and honesty. But they didn’t know you like he did. They didn’t grasp just how special you were. Dick finds that, whenever he’s with you, he truly gets to enjoy the little things in life. Like the way your eyebrows furrow when you’re thinking. Or the way you talk or laugh. The direction your head tilts when you’re confused. No one pays attention to that, except for him.

“If we have time after this, would you wanna help me decorate?” you ask after a beat of admiring Dick’s adorable face. Not realising that Dick was doing the same with you.

“Sure.” He answers a bit too eagerly and hopes you didn’t pick up on his fumble.

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The snow falls lightly across the streets, littering the freshly swept pavement with specks of white. Thin blankets of snow cover the bare trees spread across the streets. Both of your feet crunch against the snow reforming on the pavement, leaving boot marks in your wake. Delicate snowflakes drift from the grey sky, landing on your shoulders. Your pace slows behind Dick’s as you hold a gloved palm out to catch the white specks.

“Y’know, I haven’t seen snow before Gotham.” You say, snowflakes falling into your gloves. “Doesn’t snow where I come from.”

“You’ve never been away for Christmas?” Dick asks tentatively.

You shake your head, “Never. Most of my family tends to return home instead.” You frown, not thinking you’d ever see the day where you were disappointed with being in another country. Your frown catches onto Dick’s expression and you wish you hadn’t seen his face fall. Seeing his lips curl in the other direction pulls painfully at your heartstrings. Your disheartened state should never be the cause of his.

You look up to talk to him, but the glare that bounces off the snow down right nearly blinds you. “It’s okay though.” You recover, trying to smile up at him despite your squinting. “a first time for everything right.”

He smiles back at you, deciding then and there that this year was going to be worth more than your tears.

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It’s nearly four o’clock when you arrive back at your apartment complex which your relative had so graciously left you. Technically, it wasn’t yours but the actual owner was never around– always travelling. Much like the rest of the tenants in this place. It’s a decent sized place on the fourth floor, well furnished, cosy closed floor plan— there’s even a communal pool at the top of the building, not that anyone bothers to swim in it. The only thing the apartment lacks is a soul. You hadn’t exactly gotten to decorating it yourself.

“Maybe I can take you shopping sometime?” Dick offers, resting the bags on your kitchen countertop.

“Again?” You chuckle.

“Well if I had known, I would have taken you to the department store today. I know a really good one.” He hums, starting to pull out different ornaments from the first bag. “We should start with the tree.” He starts unpacking the faux Christmas tree from a compact box, its branches flattened from the restricted packaging.

You two make quick work of mounting it up, fluffing out the branches and setting the red tree skirt under it. Now, it’s onto adding the lights. Dick decided on warm lights— a stark contrast to those heavy blinkers your family would use. But, you prefer the warm. It’s almost as if Dick knew.

You stand behind the tree as Dick passes the lights around the front. You can’t help but think of how oddly domestic it all is. At what point does one begin to question platonic love?

You try to ignore the way he lets your hands brush every time he passes the bunch to you and the spark you feel at his touch— you really do. You also try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. Those things seriously exist? You had always thought people were just making stuff up for the sake of it.

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The snow outside your apartment picks up, now falling in a constant array. It’s long past five and your Christmas tree, along with some wreaths and tinsel now fill the empty corners of your apartment. With your plain throw pillows and blankets traded for red and greens, you consider your job complete. Dick has even decided to put some hanging decor on the ceiling, swearing up and down that it’ll stay despite the flimsy tape.

You stand next to him in front of the door, admiring your handiwork. “Not bad.” You hum.

Dick makes an expression at the side of your eye, “Seriously? That’s all I get?” He mocks the offense, “‘Not bad’?”

You laugh at his antics, “Thank you, Dick.” You turn to face him fully this time, “It means a lot. Really…”

Dick reciprocates your affection, smiling warmly back at you. His dimples pop at the action and you can’t help but stare. You’ve always admired how pretty he is. Especially neat for a guy. Then again, he doesn’t seem like the type to let himself get too messy. But that isn’t it at all. Just him, you think. His face— it’s so adorably perfect. You don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the expressions he wore? Or the way every feature of his perfectly compliments the next. Or how his smile is just so damn bright it manages to light up your whole mood. Whatever it is, you don’t even try to stop the words that flow from your mouth.

“You’re really pretty, Dick.”

Immediately, he flushes at your praise, the red going all the way to his ears. From the way he reacted, you can tell you’ve been staring at the boy for far too long. “Oh– um, t-thank you… You too. You– you’re really pretty too.” He bashfully fights the way his lips tug upwards. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him stammer that much in one sentence— ever.

A moment passes and it looks like he’s regained his usual stature. You giggle at his attempt at composure. “Actually, can I show you something?” He holds a hand out for you to take.

He then ushers you towards the corridor leading to your bedroom. For a second, you think he’s managed to distract you long enough to decorate your room for you. You’re taken aback by his abrupt stop in the entrance of the hallway. He turns around to face you and the look on his face comes off as almost impossible to read. He looks like he’s fighting both a smirk and bashfulness all at once. Dick then takes both of your hands in his, wordlessly gesturing upwards with a tug at your interlocked hands. You follow his gaze up to — oh…

Hanging on the arch above you is none other than —a mistletoe. You’ve never seen one hung in real life, expecting to be put to use— only in movies. Much less seen one from this angle. Your eyes find Dick’s once more and he just stares. He’s about to apologise, tell you to forget this even happened. He looks scared almost. Scared that you’ll reject him, kick him out even. But you don’t.

You stare back at him for a second, in thought. Then, you pull him down by his collar, stopping when your faces are so close together that your breaths mingle in the warmth of the other. His eyes are blown wide, searching yours intently— almost as if he doesn’t believe this is happening to him. “Smooth.” You giggle before meeting his lips with yours.

Dick practically melts into your hold, arms wrapping tentatively around your back, slowly inching towards your waist. “Is it okay if I– if I hold you here?” He breathes against you, looking at you with stars in his eyes. If anyone asks, he’d surely tell them you fell from the sky. You chuckle at his unusual bashfulness today.

“Yes, Dick. You can hold me wherever you want.” You reconnect the two of you, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck. The kiss is sweet, a mix of hidden emotions and untold secrets—some of which Dick couldn’t wait to share with you. But, not right now. Right now it’s about you and him, under this stupid mistletoe. He’ll look back and laugh at this plan one day, he thinks.

Moments pass before you two need to break apart for air. Dick speaks first, “Does this mean we’re together?”

“Do you want to be?”

“Of course I wanna be.” He answers a beat too early.

“Then, we’re together.” You giggle against his lips.

“Oh thank goodness.” He sighs, “I thought you were seriously gonna turn me away.” He latches onto your lips again, silently walking you back to your couch. He plops down first, leaving enough space next to him for you. He doesn’t give you a second to adjust before he’s on you again. “Can we stay like this for a bit?” Dick threads a hand through your hair, the other gently rubbing the skin of your cheek. With the warm light bouncing off your features, You look ethereal to him. And when you give your response? Dick knows he’s a goner.

“For as long as you want.”

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extra:

Darkness has long enveloped the sky in his starry embrace. The moon lazily shines through your pulled curtains as you and Dick huddle together on your loveseat couch.

Dick’s not sure how he managed it, but Bruce had given him time of patrol tonight. He definitely knows, Dick winces. He always does. C’mon, he’s Batman for crying out loud.

“I got you a present.” He whispers into your hair, gesturing to the single box under the Christmas tree. “You didn’t even notice, did you?”

Your eyebrows raise in realisation as you shoot up from his embrace. “I didn’t get you anything!”

Dick only chuckles, “You don’t have to.”

“Awh, you got me a present and I completely forgot about you…” you huff. “I’m sorry…”

“Hey, hey. It’s fine. Besides, you’ve given me a present today already.” He holds your face in his hands like you’re made of glass, delicate— as if one wrong touch would shatter you in his grasp. When he realises you’re not going to respond, he prompts you.

“Well, what present would that be, Dick?” He tries to mimic your voice.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe your love and affection?” He responds as himself.

That’s when an idea pops into your head. “Hold on!” You leave his lonesome on the couch, retreating to your bedroom. From the living room, Dick hears drawers opening and pen caps flicking on and off.

You soon return to your spot on the couch with something small cupped in both your hands. “Okay, I’m done.” You slowly open your palms to reveal a piece of paper, shaped like a trophy and stuck to a pin. On it, there’s some flowers and fancy borders. And in the middle, it says “Best Boyfriend Award!”

Dick’s face turns shamelessly red, smiling ear to ear. “It’s perfect.” He kisses you on the cheek, “pin it for me.” To which you stick it right below his left collarbone, flattening out the flimsy paper against his shirt.

“Do you wanna open yours now?” Dick moves to reach for the gift. You stop him before he can even get his butt off the seat. “No, because I know you got me something good and I’d like to feel proud of my small victory right now, yeah?”

He chuckles, relaxing against the armrest and pulling you tightly against him. “Whatever you say.”

.𖥔 ݁ ˖⋆ ˚❆.𖥔 ݁ ˖⋆ ˚❆

a/n: merry christmas everyone! not sure if it’s just me but this year christmas actually feels festive if ykwim. i was really in the spirits this year for whatever reason. I’ll continue writing for this specific reader but wow im awful at slow burns i’m so sorry. I might update this later on to fix any grammatical errors and whatnot so yah! Just a warning.

I looked around the unfamiliar streets, my worried expression hidden under my mask and Eevee cap, the latter’s ears flapping around with my jerky head movements. Uselessly looking at the street signs, I sighed, unable to read them in this foreign country.

I had travelled to Japan with a friend, purely to watch the Stray Kids' concert they had held just earlier that day. If we wanted to see them live once in our lives, we had no choice, with us living in a small country in Europe. And as we all knew, idols didn't usually hold concerts in Europe, making international fans cry out in despair all over the world. Either way, we decided to join the japanese concerts, us being fans of the country itself as well, due to our love for anime and manga.

But now I stood in the streets alone, typing directions into google maps on my phone, to at least try to get to the train station. You see, my friend came with her boyfriend and they had booked a place to stay at together. She had offered to let me stay without an ounce of hesitation, but I didn't want to be a bother and intrude. So, I’d booked a place by myself, but by the time I had gotten around to it, everything in that city near the concert or even my friend's place had already been booked. I had no choice but to choose a place at a hotel that was far away, far enough that you could only reach it with a train from the concert's location.

Come on me, I was a big girl, I could do this. I got here somehow -still had no idea how, with my anxiety and horrible navigation skills-, I could find my way back too.

So with a quiet, nervous sigh, I started following the directions shown on my phone, head slightly bopping to the music that filtered through my headphones that sat snugly on my ears, over my cap. Of course the pleasant and energetic tunes were from the same band I had seen hours ago on stage, but with the added background noise of the late city life, thanks to the ambient aware option on my headphones.

The train I needed to reach wouldn't leave for a good while, so I could slightly relax and look around the cement jungle without having to hurry needlessly. It was interesting to see how different, yet in a way, similar it was to my own country. Sure, the buildings' style was different, the streets were more busy and bright, but some shops were the same or really similar. It was nice, to just not feel completely alien and lost in a foreign city.

Although one thing that kept happening was that people kept staring at me. Naturally, it was bound to happen with my slightly over 6 feet height in Japan of all places, but the added combo of my Eevee outfit only strengthened it. Some people even outright complimented me, making me awkwardly bow and thank them in my limited japanese knowledge. To my utter surprise, some even asked for a selfie or a photo, undoubtedly making my cheeks dust with red, all evidence hidden under my mask and scarf.

Things seemed to be going well, until the time of day was starting to run out and the streets were slowly but surely becoming empty. The fact that my GPS was taking me through slightly questionable roads didn't help in the matter at all.

Then I heard it.

Footsteps, somewhere behind me, never stopping.

At first, I didn't think too much of it, but then my paranoid mind made me pause my music on my phone, the device buried in the depths of my pocket. I didn't stop and look around, merely continued to walk towards my destination to not seem suspicious, something my gut told me to avoid at all cost.

Then I listened.

The footsteps were still there, something that didn't change no matter how much I had walked. They were also weird, rhythm-wise. They felt unnatural, as if the person didn't usually walk like that. Their rhythm was also suspiciously like mine, the sound of our steps usually mixing together into one, making me listen keenly for several minutes to confirm my suspicions.

My pulse picked up, skyrocketing into the stratosphere.

I had heard about the dangerous things that could happen on the late night streets of Japan, my mind now on overdrive as I tried to act natural, as if I was clueless still.

I had to get away from this person somehow, I didn't want any of those horrors to happen to me, just the mere thought made my skin crawl and head hurt.

I shouldn't have turned down my friend's offer, being a third wheel would have been so much safer.

My eyes fluttered down onto my phone and my heart skipped a beat.

I was walking in the wrong way.

Amidst my panic, I must have taken several wrong turns, because now I was dangerously far away from the train station. Maybe if I hurried I could have made it, a debatable thought in itself, but that was the last thing on my mind as I heard people chatting from my right. Turning my head over there, I was met with bright lights from advertisement boards and all kinds of fairy lights, the fact that I was in a dark alley registering in my mind only then.

I didn't hesitate to make my way over there with quick steps, my long legs carrying me swiftly and quickly towards my desired goal.

But not quick enough.

Before I could reach the main street, I was grabbed from behind, something being forcefully pushed in front of my face. But probably due to height differences -also thanks to my fluffy scarf and my mask’s added layers of protection-, the person couldn't quite do it quickly and I instinctually elbowed them wherever I could reach.

Based on the grunt he let out, I hit his gut, the arms around me releasing their hold just enough for me to break away and sprint towards the people with all my adrenaline-powered strength.

When I reached the brightly lit street, my eyes looked around the empty place, mind halting to a stop.

Where were the people? I just heard them! Where were they?!

But before I could look around properly, I was tackled to the ground, my arms that instinctually cushioned my fall  flaring up in pain. An instinctual yell left my mouth as I wrestled with him, my scattered mind resorting to shouting in english and broken japanese both.

Just as I thought I was going to be kidnapped, my hands held down and face stuffed with a drenched cloth, the weight on top of me disappeared in an instant.

I didn't really know what just happened, I only heard some shouting -in what language, i wasn't sure anymore- and skin upon skin impact, before the quieting sound of shoes hitting the ground reached my ringing ears.

I simply blinked up at the dark sky as I panted there, head laying on the dirty pavement underneath me as I fought with the nauseating dizziness that was attacking my system violently.

Sometime later -because i wasn't sure how long i had been laying there for-, a figure appeared in my vision, his eyes above his dark mask filled with worry. Sounds came from him, but it all sounded gibberish to me at that moment.

After receiving no reply, he turned to the side to talk to someone, but before he could do anything else, I quickly sat up. He fussed around me, rightfully surprised by my sudden movements, but I cared not as my mind finally caught up to itself.

I quickly tore my damp mask off, hiding my face from the harsh autumn wind with my scarf quickly afterwards, the soft fabric providing me with much needed comfort. Feeling the dark fabric in my hands, it was no wonder that no amount of breathing helped after my attacker had left. It was soaked with most probably chloroform, explaining why I was still feeling so dizzy.

Looking up from the mask, I saw the man who had -probably- saved me, crouched right in front of me. Another man was next to him, taller and more built, dressed in dark clothes. They were talking, but the language they used was definitely not japanese or even english. From the sound of it, it was another asian language, but I couldn't pinpoint which with my extremely limited knowledge and gibberish thoughts.

Not knowing what else to do with my hazy mind, I bowed my head as much as I could towards my saviours, uttering my thanks in japanese. Thankfully, I knew that much from all those years of watching anime and beginner japanese language classes.

They immediately stopped talking, the man who fussed over me earlier saying something along the lines of not a problem in japanese and asking me how I was feeling. I said I was okay, because really, I was, my mind was just a bit foggy. His eyebrows furrowed at my answer, as if he couldn't believe me for some reason. I furrowed my own eyebrows at that and slightly tilted my head to the side, not understanding his confusion.

But when I tried to stand up after putting my cap and headphones back on properly -the latter around my neck this time-, I understood his concern.

I was shaking.

Sure, not extremely, but the slight, unintentional movements of my body were there, clear as day.

"Oh, looks like I lied about being fine, sorry." - I quietly uttered out in english, not even realising that I had switched languages once again. "So I did hear it right, you do speak english." - one of them spoke back, catching me off guard.

"Shit, sorry, it wasn't intentional." - I quickly muttered out, defending myself. "No worries, now I know why you didn't respond to me the first time and just looked lost instead." - he lightly laughed out.

The person next to him extended a hand towards me, and after blinking at it for a few seconds, I finally realised he was just trying to help me up. So, with a purse of my lips and a bow of my head, I thanked him and took his hand. He swiftly pulled me up, checking if I needed some help to stay upright. Seeing that I was alright -as alright as one could be in that situation-, he let me go and talked to the other man in that foreign language once again.

I simply stood there, the weight of what had just happened not fully hitting me yet. Realising that I was still clutching my mask in my hand, I pocketed it and looked towards the only other man on the road besides us three.

He was speaking in that same foreign language, but sometimes he switched over to english. His accent was thick and painfully familiar, along with his deep, melodic voice. I tried to fit the puzzle pieces into their place as I just watched him, how he spoke to his phone, no doubt vlogging or live streaming.

" -y, hey, are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" - a soft touch broke me out of my train of thoughts, his voice -that was also familiar and had a similar accent- laced with worry. "Y-yes, yes, sorry, I was just lost in thought. But thank you two, again, for saving me, I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here. Really, thank you so much." - I rambled out, bowing a few times for good measure. "Hey, it's alright, I'm glad we were here. Do you need help getting home? Where're ya headed to?" "Ah, the train station. But I'll be fine alone… Why are you looking at me like that?" "... The train station is hours away from here, and it's already almost midnight."

Eyes widening at his answer, I took my phone out of my pocket -a miracle it had stayed there, unharmed- and unlocked the screen. Sure enough, he was right. Checking the schedule for the train I needed, no matter how many times I read it over and over again, the letters and numbers didn't change at all.

The last train would depart in 30 minutes, something that I would only reach if I had magically gained the ability to teleport.

My eyes turned glossy as I continued looking at my screen in despair, lower lips caught between my teeth as a way to ground myself.

I couldn't get to my rented out hotel room now.

"Hey, hey, look at me. It's gonna be okay. What's the matter?" - his warm voice reached my ears once again, my eyes flitting up to meet with his. "My…my train… The last one’s gonna depart in 15 mins, something I have no way of reaching. And now I-, I can't get to my hotel room now, I don't have anywhere to stay–" - my voice cut off at the end, worry eating me out from the inside.

Even if I were to call my friend to stay with her and her boyfriend, they were a few hours away from where I ran away to. I had already checked it, multiple times. Somehow I’d walked in the completely wrong direction as I was trying to escape that man.

"It's gonna be okay, trust me, I'll think of something. Why don't you sit down over there and eat this, while I talk to my buddies here, hm?" - he gently said, pointing towards a nearby bench and handing me a lil protein bar from his pocket.

I blinked down at him -because he was considerably shorter than me-, but then I carefully took the offered snack and nodded. I didn't have anything else to do anyway, and I needed to take any help I could get. That much was obvious to me, even in my current situation.

I felt like a pathetic child that needed to be looked after, sitting there on the bench as I snacked on my protein bar in an Eevee cap.

Maybe I was one. I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Having finished munching on the snack, I pulled my scarf back up and stared emptily at the ground in front of me, hands clutched and resting on my knees that rested tightly clenched together, no doubt causing a faint bruise to form.

I was absolutely fucked, to put it simply.

I had been almost kidnapped in a foreign country, merely hours after I’d had the time of my life at the first concert of my life. Chloroform was probably still lingering in my system and clouding my mind, not to mention that my only friend in this country was long asleep and I had already formed a splitting headache.

Wonderful.

Truly, truly, wonderful.

I couldn't help the sigh that left through my nose, my hand going up to rub at my now dry eyes -contact lenses sadly had that effect-, but stopping when I remembered I had makeup on. I tugged the cap even more into my hurting head, instinctively trying to hide myself magically with the habitual gesture.

Just when I thought about putting my headphones up and calming my still very erratic pulse with some music, the shorter man approached me -the taller one lingering behind-.

He sat down beside me, leaving a comfortable amount of space between us, something my jittery mind much appreciated.

"So, we talked about it, and ya could stay with us for the night if you want to. It's just me and some friends. Of course, you would get your own room, all to yourself. I can bunk with one of my pals for the night no problem. I understand if ya don't trust me, truly I do realise how sketchy my offer sounds, but… I don't want you to stay out here for the night and get hurt even more. I have the opportunity to help, and I want to." - he carefully explained it to me, making sure I was following his sentences actively.

I remained quiet, thinking the offer through.

He was right, it was definitely sketchy as heck, but, what could I do? I could either stay out here on the streets, because everything was either closed or booked already -stupid concert-, or I could go with them.

"Ya can decide a bit later too, ya kno'." - I quickly shook my head gently -that massive headache significantly becoming worse-, cutting him short. "If you guys really don't mind, then… I would like to take your offer." - I gently muttered out, bowing once again in gratitude. "Oh please, stop bowing, ya really don't need to. It's alright, really, none of us bite, I promise. Actually, lemme introduce you to one of my pals, he's been there, live this whole time."

He stood up after he pointed to the aforementioned streamer and I quickly followed him, slightly bowing towards the taller man once again in gratitude as we passed by him. He sheepishly rubbed his neck and waved his hand in front of his face in a dismissive way, probably wanting me to stop bowing, just like the shorter man.

Speaking of which, I watched as he walked up to his buddy, my body slowing to a halt. I didn't want to disturb their job or hobby as well -whatever streaming was to them-, so I stopped before I could enter their phone camera's range.

The other man was slightly taller, but still smaller than me, with blonde strands peeking out from underneath his black beanie. Few freckles sat above his own dark facemask, my eyes squinting at the familiarity.

But once again, my train of thoughts were disrupted before I could come to a much needed conclusion.

"Hey, don't be shy, c’mere. This is Felix, and I'm Christopher, but call me Chris." - he introduced themselves to me as I still didn't go into their camera's range just quite. "I’m… well, uuh, my name’s weird and foreign, so for simplicity purposes, call me Eevee. For… for obvious reasons.  I'm sorry, I will tell you later if you really want to know it." - I added in, bowing my head before glancing at their stream.

An understanding hum left their lips and I suddenly felt like I was in the presence of an anime character. A sunshine one, to be specific.

"I wanted to say it earlier, but your outfit is so freaking cute, like, really cute! Where did ya get it?" - the blondie asked, eyes sparkling and smile widening, so much so that his eyes were slightly arched upwards, turning into little crescent moons.

Taken aback, it took me a few seconds to formulate a normal reaction and reply.

"I-, uh, thank you? Well, I kinda got these clothes at different places and times, they just fit together nicely by coincidence. The scarf and cap was actually a gift from my brother, because he saw this silly lil cap in an Austrian store one day and wanted me to put it on real bad. Long story short, here I am now, fully decked out. A walking, comically tall Eevee on the streets. Just don't throw a pokeball at me. They hurt surprisingly much." "Ooooh, that's so cool. Hyung, we gotta get a cap like this later! Also, wait, did someone actually throw a pokeball at ya?" "... Yeah…"

Their expressions were hilarious even with their masks on, absolutely worth the pain. I couldn't help the little laugh that slipped past my lips.

"Don't worry, it only happened like twice, and one of those times it was a plushie." "Fhew, okay, I was gettin' worried there for a sec." - the blondie sighed out, his hand placed onto his chest out of relief.

With a small laugh they started walking, my anxiety-filled self unsure if I should join them. I really didn't want to be on camera, even though my face was practically completely covered.

But I didn't need to ponder for long, their forms looking back at me and beckoning me to join them.

"Come here, and naur, don't worry, it's fine. You're not disrupting us."

With a small nod and a deep breath, I joined them, slightly waving at the camera.

Christopher introduced me, or I assumed he did, because he was speaking in that foreign language once again.

"Right, Eevee, do you speak korean?" - one of them asked, drawing my attention to him from the flooded chat that was moving way too fast for my tired eyes.

So that was what that foreign language waaas, got it.

"Ah, uh, no, not at all. I couldn't understand a word of any of your guys' conversation, don’t worry."

"What do ya mean don’t worry, that must feel awful to not understand anything! We'll speak more english then, no worries! I couldn't speak it a few years ago either, so I truly do feel ya." - he replied, voice cheery and calming.

Wait.

Now hang on for a fucking second.

This boy to my right was blonde, had freckles, had a deep voice, had a weird english accent and hadn’t been able to speak korean up until a few years ago.

The boy to my left had the same accent, his voice was way too fucking familiar and nice, he had dark curls peeking out from underneath his beanie and could speak korean well.

Stray Kids had their concert half a day ago in the same city, a band that had two members with an eerily similar description.

Haha, naur, no way.

I looked back at them as they were talking to their chat, only coming to that same, insane conclusion. Glancing at the flooded screen on the phone, I mostly saw -probably- korean characters, but there were a few english sentences as well. One of them caught my eye, the word 'Chan' peeking out from it painfully.

My breath got caught in my throat.

Okay, okay, they were just people, act normal. Just, normal, okay? If they won't find out you're a STAY, and neither will the other fans, everything would be fine. I didn't plan on taking photos of them secretly or anything anyway, like a goddamn sasaeng. So just breathe and ignore that they kinda do be idols and people you look up to, okay?

Aaaagh, I was so absolutely fucked.

Next chapter

❄︎ inosuke hashibira

the two of you first met at his solo mission at a nearby town

you were on your way to the headquarters because oyakata-sama requested for some aid and manpower from foreign demon slayer corps

THIS GUY WILL UNDERSTAND IMMEDIATELY

his guesses are not on point but he gets what you're trying to say

even as you learn japanese steadily, this guy will make everything about him

teaches you boar language as well

you were staying at a rest house when a commotion occurred outside. grabbing your sword, you saw a boar head sparring with a demon. apparently, one managed to escape your hold earlier. you opted to get the people to safety to prevent damages

afterwards, you tried to introduce yourself to him and explain your situation but it took a few tries before he understood you (with the help of his kasugai crow).

you weren't able to meet oyakata-sama yet because of personal reasons, so inosuke insisted on taking a detour on the mountains, he taught you a few words that could be useful when communicating during missions

"so you're the boss?" you asked with wide eyes as he let out a boisterous laugh while nodding in agreement

"and you're also the god of the mountain?" you continued, watching as he relished in your acknowledgement and praise. "do you have a shrine? or a temple?" you asked, making him stop in his tracks

dear god you just inserted a new idea in his head.

the next time you meet him was when your aid was needed in a mission in the red light district. remembering that he told you that he was the boss, you exclaimed and greeted him from a distance

"oyakata-sama!!!" you shouted, making tanjiro and zenitsu freeze. uzui's eyes almost popped out of its sockets as he glared down at inosuke.

"WHAT NONSENSE HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING THE FOREIGN MEMBER!? HOW DARE YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS OYAKATA-SAMA!?"

you didn't mean to almost end inosuke's life by the hands of uzui, but, he is oyakata-sama? right?

❄︎ zenitsu agatsuma

exhilarated at the thought of a new female slayer joining their missions

TRIES SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND YOU

to the point he wants you to teach him your language

the two of you met at the butterfly estate when he was recuperating

you popped in sometimes during their training and during your breaks from japanese lessons

saves you from tanjiro's and inosuke's dumb concepts

"y/n-chaaaan~" he called out upon hearing your footsteps approach them, making him pause from training. he grumbled in annoyance when aoi pulled him back.

introduction was quick, because his enthusiasm went through the roof, and he understood your drawings and diagrams and broken japanese while explaining your circumstances

literally pulls you away from tanjiro and inosuke because he knows that those two will try to trick you into believing false things about japan and its culture

however, he can't always keep his eyes on you

so one day, when you two were training, you brought up a topic that you got from a reliable source (tanjiro and inosuke)

"hey, zenitsu, what's it like being an oiran?" you asked innocently, cleaning the blade of your sword. zenitsu, on the other hand, looked like he was about to butcher two people soon

"w-wha- where did you even get that term?" he asked slowly but you can see his eyes filled with bloodlust. oh how he wanted to bury his friends 6ft underground right now

"well, tanjiro and inosuke told me that you were an oiran" you said, making steam go out of zenitsu's ears

"what did they tell you it meant?" he treaded lightly, making you turn to him confusedly. "well, they told me it is used to address someone who almost turned into a spider" you answered back and zenitsu did not whether to laugh or cry. "i heard about the natagumo mountain mission, there are a lot of oiran in the corps, huh?" you muttered to yourself

safe to say, zenitsu made tanjiro and inosuke feel what it feels to be almost turned into a spider

When you came down to Earth you weren't really sure what to expect other than the stories that were given by your elders, passed down to generations whether you were a student, a neighbour, or a family member. The humans were not animals so you couldn't contemplate eating anyone.

It was easy to adapt, quickly learning languages just by hearing a few sentences, growing accustomed to the environment. You received strange looks, specifically being stared at every 5 minutes. (Think 80s Chisato Moritaka).

The technology was different, used in a way that you weren't familiar with. The clothes were kind of similar, but the materials were easy to tear apart so you stuck to your own clothes. Your spaceship was surprisingly hard to hide, it was easy to access since you accidentally disabled the lock. You didn't ask your parents for help out of fear of them giving you an earful about being irresponsible.

Everyone you came across was like an ant, the supes were spiders. The funny thing about ants is that you have to scrape them to kill them properly, many underestimate how strong they are. Simply stepping on them isn't enough, and yet you find yourself saving them. So often that you were being recorded, the kids that lived near flung to you, asking all sorts of questions. Taking pictures where you flexed your muscles at the camera. While they were not sure whether or not they should take you seriously whenever you spoke about your planet and wore your strange clothes, it felt good to be around these humans.

On your planet you are a mere child with centuries to learn. Having a desire to impress your parents, entering competitions to show how capable you are. But you were young and very easy to take down, so you spend most of your teenage-hood exploring different planets.

Everyone on your planet has the same trait: Speed, strength, and then one ability that defines you from everyone else. For you it was your hair, it seemed to have a mind of its own at times. It would be short one second and then overwhelmingly long the next. If you braided it then it would become snake-like. Your hair was strong enough to break buildings and there were a lot of occasions where you used it to fly. You mastered the art of learning how to detangle each strand so you never worried about getting them stuck.

You and your people were powerful, and still found the need to improve themselves, however. Testing each other's might, and fighting was simply a game. Evil was rare, an action that happened but wasn't so recent. Bruises weren't new and they would go away before you knew it. But it wasn't the same for these humans.

There was so much otherness. The bad kind. Robberies, murders and the like, it was almost vomit worthy but you stayed. Curious to see what else you would find on this problematic planet.

That's when Vought approached you, introducing you to the 7. They told you how "superheroes should stick together", and how "you will fit so well here". Your costume, while perplexing to some was everything to you. You remembered when you were at the fitting and threw a tantrum at the bikini the costume department prepared for you. If your mother ever caught wind of you in such a thing you wouldn't be allowed to travel to any planet ever again, so you stuck to your battle suit. (minus the jewellery)

Since then you were given the name Mighty Ase (pronounced ah-she), an old Norse name meaning 'god-like' or 'goddess'. Everyone knew your real name thanks to the teenagers that took pictures with you so you didn't understand the whole alias thing. Why were the 7 ashamed of letting people know who they were yet were okay with everyone knowing their face? Again, another Earth concept you didn't understand but would in time.

Overall, you completed tasks to save people, stop crime and protect the good side of humanity. You would visit children, be a mascot at charities, and you never had a problem with anyone. Everyone was happy. It was exciting... sort of.

A-Train: Fast but you knew your sister was much faster. Speed was nothing new and you genuinely wondered why that was anything special. The way he handled people reminded you of that time you accidentally killed a poor dog while petting it, the difference is that he wasn't so caring.

Starlight: Good as she is beautiful. Her presence was mostly honest and you couldn't help but admire her kindness and passion to do the right things. You didn't sense anything off about her, when she was upset then you were upset, knowing it was for the right reasons. She only told you why sometimes but whatever battle she was fighting wasn't for you to get involved in. You were still new and she didn't want to scare you or put you on edge just yet.

Queen Maeve: Older women in general set you on edge so you avoided talking to her. She was alright, but if you were bullet proof then so was everyone on your planet. She also gave you off vibes.

Deep Sea: Could he really talk to fish? You had the appetite for jellyfish and wondered if he could snag you some but he would never be up for it. It was safe to say that he didn't like you.

Black Noir: Quiet. Boring. You've seen children with better stealth.

Stormfront: You sensed dislike. A strong dislike that was almost unimaginable. Hate? Is that what that is? But why? You didn't do anything to her, but it was safe to say the feeling was mutual. If things got worse you could always consider eating her and being done with it. Besides that, a little lightning never hurt. You recall being struck a few times in your younger days, your father's training.

Homelander: In human years he was old enough to be your father's age. While his laser beams were impressive he used it too often, and even you knew such laziness was not to be tolerated. You remembered when the school bully lasered your arm, it took 2 months to heal. After 10 decades they weren't as effective and you grew strong enough to catch those lasers. How bothersome to be reminded of her of all people. When you met Homelander there may have been two things you did wrong. Since he was a supe you believed you didn't have to hold back when you both shook hands, you greeted him as you would anyone else. There was something wrong with this, yet he was super nice to you, and you guessed that it had to do with the fact that he must've known you were a teenager. Babying you and offering to take you to places, which you did enjoy most of the time but also dismissed to do other things. You sensed tension between him and Starlight though, so you kept your distance.

Homelander would find any way to grow close to you. To impress you. You pretended not to mind him but the way he handled things is similar to that of a sloppy child that tried to assure everyone that it knew what it was doing. The way he held himself was like an actor playing a character for the screen. Even his smile was strange. Perhaps you were so used to honesty that you couldn't calculate if someone was lying.

Not to slander them but there was something wrong that you weren't getting. Things were not adding up, and finally you went on the internet. You decided to use the primitive phones to do something other than calling for once. Once you gathered everything you confronted Starlight, that's when she told you everything.

You were oblivious. Vought took extra precautions to make sure you didn't discover the facade. You didn't watch the news and it was clear that they used that to their advantage. You were a great asset, if anything potentially happened to Homelander then you would replace him. You were great with people, were nice to the employees, and you never bothered anyone or made things hard.

Except you did.

You knelt down to the body of Stormfront, your fellow 7. Formerly. You licked the blood off your bloody hands and spat it out, taking a careful inspection at your sharp nails that grew from the bloodlust. From your peripheral vision you could make out Kimiko approaching you hesitantly.

You ignored her, your hair poking at the body. You strangely didn't feel sad, you were glad. You felt justice- no, it felt like a justifiable thing to do. This is how it's done on your home planet. Take the trouble maker, then exterminate.

"Sorry for intruding. Kimiko, was it?" you said, standing up straight and holding your hand out to her. "I heard you were a friend of Annie, I was wondering if I could help. Don't worry about the damage, my people will have it sorted out."