#normal thing

(Karasu Tabito x reader)

Words Count: 738

Synopsis: Being in a relationship with Karasu seemed perfect alright. But was it really enough if you were with someone who'd never show his true self, even to the one he loved?

Warning: angst (i'm not sorry), not proofread

Song: Normal Thing - Gracie Abrams

It's a normal thing to fall in love with soccer athletes.

They’re confident, radiant, magnetic in a way that makes you feel chosen when they turn their gaze to you. The center of every room they walk in.

Karasu Tabito was all of that and even more.

He was quick-witted and a little arrogant, the kind of person who made you laugh before the punchline landed. He talked the talk, walked the walk. He smirked lazily, leaned in when you spoke, and had this way of making you feel seen no matter where you are, like you really mattered.

Falling for him felt effortless.

Being with him? Even easier.

He texted you good luck before your exams. He walked you home after every date. He remembered every single detail about you, from your drink order to the shade of blue you liked. He kissed you like he didn’t care who was watching. He told you he was lucky to have you. He sounded like he really meant it.

It felt real.

You had your own little story. A picture-perfect one.

The story you wanted… was the story you got.

And yet…

Somewhere along the line, it started to feel like you were the only one bleeding on the page. And you started to question.

Are you special, or was this all scripted in his head?

Then you started noticing things.

Things no one noticed, but you did.

How he could be in a room full of people and come out knowing everything about everyone, but no one knew anything about him.

How he could talk and laugh for an hour without once saying something personal.

How he could be lying right next to you but you were the only one talking, the only one revealing, the only one sharing.

You’d ask questions — not big ones, just simple things, his fear, his past, his struggle, things that any couples should know about each other — closure.

But he’d dodge. Every time.

He’d grin, maybe call you curious. Then change the subject. Way too smoothly.

It didn't take much time to realize that while he knew you inside out, you didn't know anything about him at all, not really, not whatever behind those indigo eyes and cocky smirk and teasing words.

Sure, he was a gentleman, the standard, he never snapped, never got mad, there wasn't any particular problem in your relationship at all. And you could just tell yourself that he needed time, that maybe he was still learning how to trust, that he might open up eventually, that maybe if you try hard enough you could just keep playing along with this even if the disillusionment was washing over you like a tidal wave.

Then again, love without closeness — without truth — is just theater.

And Karasu? He knew this all too well, he wasn't vain or stupid. Yet even with a sharp mind and high awareness, nothing could change the fact that he's afraid of being seen, of his vulnerability being shown, of the thought that if he let you in, you might just find out that he's just mediocre after all.

He couldn't stand the thought of it.

So he did what he always did best. Laugh, smirk, tease, joke, deflect, anything to keep you around, to make you happy, to keep the illusion going but never to let you in at all.

He loved you. Maybe he did.

But he loved you from behind a wall.

And that's not how you want to spend your life.

—-----------------------------------------------

You didn’t fight when it ended

There was no screaming. No dramas.

Just one quiet night, too quiet, where you looked at him and decided that you didn’t want to keep loving someone who was just playing a role.

And Karasu didn’t beg, didn’t stop you either. He just smiled, resigned, tilted his head, and said “I guess I’ll see ya.” as he gently wiped the tears on your face.

Like this was always the ending he’d planned.

And the worst part? It didn't hurt this much because he was a good guy, or because you were grieving the good time you had. It hurt because you know, deep down, he never meant to hurt you, that he loved you the only way he knew how — safe, distant, calculated.

But at the end of the day, love is never enough, not when it’s locked behind layers of deflection.

And you deserved someone who’d let you behind the curtain.

“it’s a normal thing to fall in love with movie stars”