#tkdb fics

── .✦

You are trying very hard to concentrate on the mission reports that Jin has tasked you with, but you keep finding yourself nodding off - eyelids sliding shut and head drooping down on their own accord. You don’t even realize that you were stuck in this position, quietly snoozing, until you hear an irritated tch coming from across the room.

The small sound is enough to startle you awake - your head shooting back into an upright position so quickly you almost make yourself dizzy. You steal a peak in Jin's direction to find him watching you from his desk, his icy blue eyes boring into you intensely. 

“Just what do you think you are doing over there?” he chides, sending a wave of apprehension down your spine, effectively waking you up all the way.

“Sorry, I have been so busy helping the other houses recently. I guess all of that work and lack of sleep has finally caught up with me.”

He crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. The room is silent while he considers you and the longer he takes to respond, the more nervous you become. You steal another peak in his direction and catch a flash of…concern? cross his face. It was gone so quickly that you thought you had imagined it, that is until he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Then go home. I have no use for a servant who can’t even keep their eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time.” You couldn’t help the corners of your mouth quirking up into a small smile at that - you know this is Jin’s way of telling you to get some rest, and you can’t help but feel appreciative.

You stand, giving up a stiff, but unserious, salute, “Sir, yes sir!” You let out a small giggle to yourself and gather your things. As you bow and turn to leave you hear him again - “But know that I am going to need repayment for this. Be back at my room tomorrow right after classes end.”

Your shoulders droop a bit at that, and you pause to give him another, much less enthusiastic “Sir, yes sir” before exiting his room. You let out a little sigh after quietly shutting his door, chiding yourself for getting your hopes up too quickly. Of course this is just a temporary courtesy - if you could even go as far as calling it that. At least you have the remainder of the day to catch up on rest before facing whatever Jin may have in store for you tomorrow.

── .✦

Unbeknownst to you, Jin had immediately clocked your drowsy state as soon as you had entered his bedroom, and he had been carefully watching you while you worked. Annoyance flared in his chest seeing you struggle to stay awake - but it wasn’t directed towards you. He was sure that your current physical state was due to the other houses running you ragged, and once you confirmed that to him, the annoyance quickly turned to anger. The other houses take up too much of your time, demand way too much from you, and you are too kind to put your foot down and make boundaries. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he was hit with a revelation - if you would not make your own boundaries, he would just have to make them for you.

“Then go home. I have no use for a servant who can’t even keep their eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time.”

The immediate look of relief on your face made his heart stutter and threatened to curl his signature scowl into a little smile. But it also confirmed to him just how badly you needed a break, and gave him more confidence in his little plan. To make sure you didn’t have any suspicions, he demanded your presence the next day in the same manner he would normally, almost breaking character when he saw your shoulders dip in disappointment. Once you shut the door to his room, he pulled his phone out and began making preparations.

── .✦

It was the next day, and you found yourself standing in front of Jin’s door, yet again. Internally you yearned for another afternoon of rest, but you can’t deny that the sleep you had yesterday was immensely helpful. Though you still felt groggy, you were actually able to pay attention and take notes in your classes today - and it was all thanks to Jin dismissing you early. Your heart feels warm at the thought, and you square your shoulders with a little more determination to help him with whatever he needed today. You knock on his door, and wait for his text before entering.

The first thing you notice is how dark his room is. You have seen his black-out drapes drawn over the windows in the morning before, but you have never seen them drawn like this in the afternoon. There was low lighting illuminating the room, giving it a much cozier atmosphere than you are used to.

You tentatively step further into the room, calling for him, “Jin?”

His head lifts up from the paperwork he was reviewing at his desk under a small lamp, and you see the quickest hint of relief flicker over his face before disappearing. He uses the pen he is holding to gesture over to his chaise and coffee table, “Take a seat.”

You obey, walking over to the sitting area and noting the afternoon tea spread laid out on the table as you take a seat. Normally Jin already has a stack of paperwork waiting for you on the small desk you use in his room, but from where you are sitting on the chaise, you can see that there is nothing there today. Your mind starts to work overtime trying to understand the situation you are in - it is rare for Jin to deviate from his normal routine so now you aren’t sure what to expect from him.

You hear him set the paperwork down and make his way over to you, sitting down on the chaise opposite you. He leans over the coffee table to pick up the small teapot sitting there and pours a cup of tea, which he then holds out for you.

You blink. “This is for me?”

“Why else would I be handing it to you?”

You reach forward and accept the teacup with both hands, your fingers lightly brushing over Jin’s in the exchange. He sets the teapot down, and begins to pick out several different biscuits and a little sandwich from the spread, arranging them all on a small plate. You watch him as he makes his selections, appreciating the warmth from the teacup you were holding, but not taking a sip yet. Once he seems pleased with his arrangement, he holds out the little plate piled with goodies to you. 

Your eyebrows shoot up in astonishment. Did Jin just pick out an arrangement of snacks for you? You reach out and tentatively accept the plate from him, setting it down on your lap. He gives himself a small nod and leans back against the chaise, widely crossing one of his legs over the other. You both sit and look at each other for a beat before you speak up.

“Jin, what is all of this?”

“It’s for you,” he replies, simply.

“Oh.” You look back down to the spread on the table in front of you, to the teacup in your hand, and to the plate on your lap. You feel very appreciative, but.. confused. “What is all of this for, though?”

He crosses his arms and looks off to the side, “Those morons in the other houses push you too far, make you give too much.” You open your mouth to interject that you are always happy to help, but his eyes snap back to you and give you a look that tells you to not interrupt him. “And you are incapable of saying no. So, if you won't make time for yourself to rest, then I will.” He looks away again, the faintest of pink dusting his cheeks - though you are not able to see in the low lighting of his room.

In contrast, the deep pink hue of your cheeks are easily noticeable. Your heart swells at his admission, and you can’t stop the blush from covering your face or the look of fondness that fills your eyes. You can hardly believe it - not only did he notice your exhaustion, but he worked to make sure you had the space and time to really rest. You feel so comforted, so cared for.

“Drink your tea before it gets cold.” His voice snaps you back to the present, and you find him watching you again. You bring the teacup to your lips and take a big sip. “Mmmm, is this chamomile?” He nods, a small smile forming on his face, “You need to rest and relax, so I thought chamomile would be the most appropriate.” 

“Thank you Jin, this is.. wonderful. I really appreciate it.” Your eyes sparkle as you say this, and Jin feels his heart stutter again. He abruptly stands up, as if to flee from the feeling. “Don’t let it go to waste,” he says before glancing at you one more time and making his way back to his desk.

You smile again, and drink more of your tea. While digging into the snacks Jin picked out for you, you do a little happy dance, feeling so lucky to have him in your life.

── .✦

It has been some time since Jin returned to his desk. He quickly became absorbed in his work and only noticed how quiet the room had become after pausing to stretch his neck. He no longer saw you sitting on the chaise, and after doing a quick scan of the room, he realized he didn’t see you at all.

Did they leave? He quickly stands up, allowing a little sense of worry to settle in his chest. No, surely I would have heard the door if they did.

He walks forward, continuing to scan the room, only to find you curled into a little ball, snoozing on his chaise. He lets out a little breath of relief, followed by a small snort at your position. He may have underestimated just how much rest you needed if you were able to easily fall asleep like that.

Turning around, Jin makes his way over to his bed and pulls the covers back. He returns to your side and gently picks you up, bridal style, careful not to disturb your sleep. You snuggle into his chest and continue lightly snoring, and he prays that his thumping heartbeat doesn’t wake you. He gets you settled onto his bed, removing your shoes and blazer, and placing them neatly on the side table next to you. You seem to relax more in this new setting, nuzzling into his pillows, pulling the blankets tightly around you, and giving a little hum of satisfaction. He lets out a quiet chuckle and reaches over to you, tucking a stray hair back where it belongs on your head.

“Rest well, Inspector.”

── .✦

Rui paced back and forth across his room, nervously wringing his hands. You were on your way to Obscuary to see him, and the nerves were setting him on fire. He wasn’t just nervous to see you - though, how could he not be when you effortlessly make his heart do somersaults every time he saw you?

No, today he is nervous because it would be the first day he could touch you. Just this morning his curse was finally broken - by Haku, of all people. The ritual flew by in a blur, and when it was over, he wondered if it had really worked. There were no immediate changes that he could sense, so he left, feeling confused. But when he returned to Obscuary, Lyca and Ed bombarded him with lung-crushing hugs, proving that the ritual did work - his curse really was broken. He really can touch people without killing them.

Before he really processed this miracle, he was already pulling out his phone and texting you that he had big news and needed you to come to Obscuary right away. His subconscious was desperate to share the news with you, the person he loved more than anything or anyone else in the world - so he contacted you as automatically as he breathed.

It hadn’t been very long since you replied that you were on your way, but it was enough time for reality to settle in a little bit more, allowing Rui to spiral. Am I really doing this? I know I touched Lyca and Ed, but.. they’re not the Honor Student, he thought. What if something still goes wrong? Am I really willing to take the chance? Is my selfish desire really worth their safety?

Rui’s chest tightened and he stopped pacing to bury his face in his hands. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should wait until he was completely sure that nothing would happen to you. Maybe-

His train of thought was cut off by the sound of three gentle knocks on his bedroom door.

“Rui?” His heart melted at the sound of your voice calling out to him. “Are you in there?”

He took a big breath. “Y-Yeah. Just one second, cutie!” Cringing at the shakiness of his voice, Rui brought his hands up and slapped both sides of his face to center himself, and opened the door.

You stood there in your uniform, looking at him with big, round eyes filled with happiness and curiosity, and his brain completely short-circuited. The reality of what was about to happen hit him much harder with you standing right there in front of him. His palms started to sweat, causing him to wring his hands again.

Your eyes flicked down to the motion and when they looked back up to him, the happiness and curiosity were replaced with worry. “Rui, are you okay? What is happening?”

He let out a shaky breath, “Yeah, I-I’m okay. Everything is okay. Everything is actually more than okay, everything is great! Today is great! Yeah, everything is-”

“Rui.”

“Right, sorry.” He cleared his throat and gestured for you to enter his room. He closed the door behind you, and you quirked an eyebrow up at him, but otherwise said nothing, giving him the space he needed to process what he wanted to say.

“So, um, Honor Student, I- uh. I honestly don’t know how to tell you this without just..saying it, so I’m just going to say it.” You nodded encouragingly, so Rui took a deep breath, and all at once said, 

“HakubrokemycursethismorningandnowIcantouchpeople.”

── .✦

You blinked at him owlishly, trying to process his words. But your mind had gone completely blank - all of your worries vanished and were replaced by this once phrase now bouncing around in your skull like an echo in a cave.

“I’m sorry, Haku did what?”

You watched Rui let out another shaky breath before he responded, slower, “Haku broke my curse this morning. A-And now, I can..I can touch people..”

You felt a sense of understanding wash over you all at once. His text, his tense behavior, the way he kept wringing his hands - which you now realized were glove-free - it all made sense.

“Rui,” you breathed, excitement apparent in your voice.

“But maybe it’s still too soon for us to try. I mean Ed and Lyca both have touched me already and they were okay,” he quickly rambled.

“Rui.” You tried to get his attention, to break him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“But this is you we are talking about! I want to hold your hand and hug you more than anything in the world, but I will never ever forgive myself if-”

“Rui!”

His eyes snapped to yours, worry etched deeply into his features. You took a deep breath and held up your hand, palm facing him.

“Please.”

You watched him gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, before he began to raise his shaky hand to yours. He moved so slowly, making you want to reach out and grab him, but you held completely still and allowed him to move at his own speed. Though you felt so excited at this moment that you were practically giddy, Rui clearly still held strong reservations. For so long he had to live such a careful and lonely life in fear of hurting anyone, but especially you. His devotion to you has been his strongest source of motivation these past months, and his love only grew stronger each day that passed. You understood why he would be cautious - after living as he did for so long, how could he easily trust that everything was okay now? Just like that? This was a very big moment for him, and you knew he had to be processing so many feelings, so it is only right to let him set the pace.

Finally, the very tips of his fingers brushed lightly against yours and you gasped in unison. He jumped back slightly, eyes flicking from you to his shaking hand, waiting for..something to happen.

You held still to the best of your ability. Your heart was racing, pounding in your ears, and thrumming through your whole body. 

You just touched Rui. The sweetest and kindest ghoul you have come to know, the one who has brought your comfort and joy in so many more ways than you can express with words, the one who you fell in love with but could not confess to because of his condition, his curse. But now.. that was gone. There was no barrier between you. Your body buzzed with excitement.

After waiting a bit, Rui reached for your hand once more. But this time, once his shaky palm made contact with yours, you quickly laced your fingers between his and held on tight.

Rui gasped, his eyes widening in shock and his body going completely rigid. You watched as realization washed over him, and he gently closed his fingers around your hand in turn. You beamed at him, completely elated. But when he looked back to you, you realized the worry had been replaced by a swarm of emotions that Rui himself couldn’t name. His eyes welled with fat tears, and his lip began to wobble.

“Oh, Rui,” you started - but this was enough to break the dam. He choked on a sob as his knees gave out, dragging you down to the floor with him. His body shook and heaved as he released the weight of everything he had carried since being cursed - the memories, the loneliness, everything. You scooted closer to him and held him with your free hand - as he still held on tightly to the other. He buried his head in the crook of your neck and continued to cry and shake, wetting your shirt in the process.

You nuzzled your face into the top of his head and rocked your bodies back and forth in a soothing motion. You didn’t say anything, you just allowed him to cry and process in the intense and raw manner which he needed and allowed your physical presence to be a reminder that you were there and that this was real.

Over time, his sobs turned into gasps, which then turned into normal breaths. You just kept rocking him back and forth until he lifted his head to look at you. You paused, and looked down at him, with love and adoration in your eyes.

“Honor Student?” he croaked.

“Yes?”

“I think I’m.. tired. It’s been so long since I felt like this, I’m not sure..”

You remembered that his curse not only kept him from touching other living things, but also prevented him from getting tired and sleeping. It had been so long since he truly rested, and after all of that crying, you are sure he had to be completely tuckered out.

“I think that makes sense,” you said gently. “Do you want to take a nap?”

He nodded, then looked away, his cheeks and ears tinted red. “Would.. Would you stay with me?”

You smiled, “Of course.”

You helped him up off the floor of his room, finally unlatching your hands from one another, and guided him to his bed. He got in first and settled on his side, and you scooched in behind him. You slung an arm over his waist and buried your face up against his back and the back of his neck, and you felt him relax into your touch. Soon, you heard his breathing deepen and even out, and as you dozed off yourself, you couldn’t help but think about how your reaper can finally just be your love.

── .✦

You stood in line for Sho’s foodtruck, Highway to Home, tapping your foot anxiously. The line during lunch hour is usually long, but you have always felt as though it moved rather quickly. Today, however, it seemed to drag - you have already been waiting for five minutes and you have barely moved! Normally, you would not mind the wait, especially for Sho’s food, but today you are supposed to meet Romeo in the casino’s VIP lounge to deliver yet another shady little package he made you pick up for him.

The Vice-Captain of Sinostra is known for his notoriously short temper which is easily set off by someone not following orders - which is exactly what you are doing. Your foot starts tapping a little faster, in time with your increasing anxiety. Sinostra is so far from the main campus, and because you have a class right after the lunch hour ends, you decided to get some food now so you can eat on-the-go. However, you didn’t expect the line to basically be stagnant.

As you had an internal debate with yourself on if you should take the loss on your wasted time and hoof it to Sinostra or stay in line and guarantee yourself to be on the receiving end of a lecture from Romeo later, you hear a familiar scream, “BB! Why are you keeping me waiting for so long!? Don’t you know my time is precious!?”

You turn in the direction of his voice and see an angry Romeo storming his way over to you. Your face flushes with embarrassment and you sheepishly scratch the back of your neck, “H-Hi Romeo! What are you doing here?”

“Tracking you down since you apparently can’t be bothered to make it to our meeting,” he curtly replies, rolling his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, yeah. I’m sorry about that, Romeo. I wanted to make sure I got some lunch before coming to the casino, and Sho’s line usually moves faster, but today it is a bit slow..” you gesture awkwardly in front of you.

Romeo narrows his eyes at you before taking in his surroundings. You quietly watch as he processes his thoughts, hoping to gauge his reaction. Abruptly, he turns towards the front of the line and crosses his arms over his chest with a little “Hmph!”

Your eyes widen with shock, “What are you doing?”

“WDILL?!” he snapped, “I am waiting with you! I am going to see what the fuss is with this since it is apparently so much more important than our meeting.”

You let out a disgruntled noise, “Romeo, you know that is not what I-”

“Enough, BB! We will wait, or I am going to make you work the tables tonight!” Your mouth audibly snapped closed, and Romeo scoffed, knowing that you would react that way to his threat.

After another 10 minutes of waiting, you both were finally at the front of the line. Sho was turning over the food on the grill as you approached, so he called out a quick “I’ll just be a minute!” over his shoulder to you.

Romeo rolled his eyes, but you cheerily responded, “No worries, Sho!”

At the sound of your voice, Sho turned a bit more to face you while also maintaining the grill. His signature lop-sided grin graced his features at the sight of you, “Oh, hey Senpai. I didn’t know you were coming by today.” You could feel Romeo looking between you and Sho, his gaze causing you to flush with embarrassment again. “Y-Yeah, I didn’t message in advance today - it was kind of a last-minute decision..”

Sho moved the food off the grill and packaged it up. Turning towards the counter, he slid the package over to the person waiting next to you and said, “It’s no big deal, don’t worry. I see you have company today.” His eyes flickered between you and Romeo.

“Oh- yes! I do! Romeo and I are having a meeting after this so he met me here!” You scrambled to over explain Romeo’s presence. You really did not want Sho to have the wrong idea and assume you are together, together - you know he would tease you endlessly. You already get flustered with his teasing, but you couldn’t imagine him teasing you about someone you actually liked and were very much not on a date with.

“Ohh..” Sho nodded in understanding. But he looked at you with a twinkle in his eye that told you that he was definitely going to tease you later.

You coughed awkwardly, “SO! What is today’s special?” Sho crossed his arms over his chest, standing in a pose you have come to know he does when he is particularly proud of himself. “Steak Kabobs. Each one is made-to-order with each customer’s specific preferences on how well their steak is cooked.” Ah- that explains why the line was slow today.

“That sounds great, Sho! I want to try that today - but make the steak the way you would like it done.” He nods, committing your order to memory, then looks to Romeo, “What about you?”

“I’ll have the same.” 

Sho grinned, “Great! They are 1,000 Yen each.”

You reached for your bag and started to dig around for your wallet when Romeo suddenly put his arm out in front of you to stop you. You looked up at him, confused, but he wasn’t looking at you at all. He was handing his black credit card to Sho, saying “This is for both.”

Sho took the card, “Sure.” He briefly looked at you with amusement before running the card. 

While waiting for your orders, you peeked at Romeo from the corner of your eye, once again trying to gauge his mood. “Would you like to take a picture, BB? It will never be as good as the real thing, but at least you could stop ogling me.” You jumped at his words, you hadn’t realized he was aware you were staring.

“Sorry!” You intentionally diverted your attention away, and it once again became quiet between the two of you. You hesitated, but ultimately faced him again to ask, “Why did you pay for me?”

He stiffened slightly, but immediately released it. Instead he turned to you with a dumbfounded expression on his face, “Because I can?”

You gave a little laugh, “Fair, fair. Just be careful with that generosity, people might get the wrong idea~” you teased, bumping his shoulder with yours.

He jumped at the contact and turned to you again, “No one would ever believe I would be with a BB like you!”

Your chest tightened at his words, but before you could say anything in response, Sho was sliding your meals across the counter to you. He was eyeing you both suspiciously, but quickly adopted his quick, easy smile again when you made eye-contact. “I hope you enjoy it, Senpai. Message me later to give me feedback, alright?”

You took the package with both hands, nodding enthusiastically, “I will! Thank you Sho~”

You and Romeo found an open table and each dug into your meals. As always, Sho’s food tasted absolutely amazing, causing you to let out a dreamy, satisfied hum while closing your eyes. When you went to take another bite, you opened your eyes and found Romeo watching you with amusement on his face. You blushed from embarrassment, again, and defensively stammered out, “W-What is that look for? You’ve tried it now, so you know it’s amazing!” 

He responded, “I am pretty impressed, admittedly. I am just also enjoying watching you enjoy it,” with his amused look still on his face.

You let out a squeak followed by a hiccup at these words. You struggled to remind yourself to breathe as you processed what he said and without thinking about it you said, “Now it really seems like you are into me, Romeo.”

He recoiled slightly, his face twisting into a scowl despite the tinge of red that bloomed across his cheeks. “DGYHU, BB.”

You stared at him confused, “DGY-?”

“Don’t get your hopes up! Obviously!”

“Oh.”

For a moment it was silent between you both. You broke the silence with your small voice, “Would it really be so bad?”

He crossed his arms and regarded you, “What?”

You looked up at him, making eye contact, showing him the tears pricking at the corners of your eyes, “Would it really be so bad to like me? To be with me?”

He jolted back in his seat and you saw what looked like shame? or guilt? wash over his expression. It lasted for only a moment before he scoffed, his normal cocky attitude sliding on like a mask. “Why does it matter? It’s not like you have those kinds of feelings for me, that would be ridiculous.”

You blinked. In that moment your face went from one of heartbreak to one that was void of any emotion at all. “Yeah.. ridiculous.” Romeo’s eyes widened, a hint of shock dusting his features. But before he was able to say anything else, your phone started ringing and buzzing from its place on the table.

You glanced down, eyes still void of all emotions, and turned off your reminder alarm for class. You rummaged through your bag and produced the small package that Romeo tasked you with retrieving. “Here,” you said, placing it down on the table.

With that you stood from the table, put your bag on, and turned to leave. 

Romeo seemed to visibly bristle the more confusing he found your actions to be. He floundered at your abrupt departure, opening and closing his mouth several times trying to piece together something to say to you. But you were already too far to hear, even if he yelled. He just continued to watch your figure walk away from him until you turned a corner and left his line of sight. 

Letting out a big sigh, he picked up the package you had left, muttering to himself, “WTF.”

── .✦

It has been two days since the incident at lunch, and Romeo’s mood has only continued to worsen. He found himself thinking about you a lot, and the more you lingered in his mind, the more his heart ached. He was in disbelief that you shared his feelings, and he was abhorred with himself for the way he acted that day. Every time his thoughts wondered to you, they always ended with the image of you with tears prickling your eyes, or you walking away from him. And every time, those thoughts would cause a pang of guilt in his heart. After having this whole mental process repeated multiple times over the last two days, he has become even more irritable than normal.

He sits back in his chair with a sigh, rubbing his temples. This is exactly why he is in charge of watching the EITS tonight - he can brood all he wants without anyone watching him, and he doesn't have to deal with any annoying staff or customers.

He does, however, have to watch you as you make your way across the casino floor. Tonight there were several high-paying customers from Frostheim at the casino, and Romeo has tasked you with entertaining them while they play. The goal is to keep them happy and sitting at the tables for as long as possible - an easy task for you.

He had called you in an hour ago, and though you haven’t talked since the other day, you still showed up on time, ready to work. He gave you a sultry little outfit to wear, one that hugged you in all the right places, and went over the details of the night. You had quietly listened, nodding when needed to confirm your understanding, then slipped into the bathroom to change into your outfit. When you returned, Romeo was on the phone yelling at one of his lackeys to “get it together for once!” He turned towards you, hearing the door open, and nearly dropped his phone at the sight of you. He knows he has impeccable taste, but he really has outdone himself this time. The ensemble highlighted your best physical features with a sexy feeling without being skimpy and over-revealing. The color complimented your skin tone so well that you looked like you were glowing. When you walked, you did so with an air of confidence he has never seen from you before - he was absolutely enthralled by you.

You finished putting away your uniform in your bag, turning to Romeo to confirm your schedule for the evening. He shook his head a bit, centering himself again, and ran through the night one more time with you.

Now, from the comfort and privacy of his hidden security office, he watched you put the plan in motion. You easily entertained the Frostheim elites, giving them charming smiles and light hearted laughter at their awful jokes. He felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing he picked the best person for the job - but that feeling turned much darker as he watched you leaning towards one of the students while laughing, and placing your hand on their forearm as a clear flirtatious gesture. Romeo’s eye twitched and he forced himself to look away. Think about the profits, think about the profits, think about the profits, think abou-

He halted his thoughts, his entire body going rigid watching the screen where he could see you best. He could see behind you that Taiga had slipped onto the floor at some point, despite all of the security having a strict no entry order for him tonight. Romeo knew how easily Taiga could mess up his schemes, so he was meant to be forbidden from playing tonight. 

Romeo let out a deep, frustrated sigh while massaging his temples again. “That BTH better not ruin this!” he muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut in annoyance.

When he opened them again, anger flashed in his chest so suddenly that he almost stopped breathing. Taiga had sauntered up to you, inserting himself into the conversation you were having with the Frostheim students. He leaned into you, head drooping down so his lips ghosted over your ear, and he whispered something to you that made you jolt slightly. His face broadened into his signature, cocky grin, and he slid an arm around your hips, pulling you closer to him. To Romeo’s dismay, you seemed to untense slightly at Taiga’s touch. His heart felt like it was being twisted and squeezed while watching the interaction between you both. Once Taiga had sat down at the table and pulled you onto his lap, Romeo slammed his fists down on the table and stood, quickly exiting the room and heading to the casino floor. 

── .✦

“Gyahahaha! Whaddya think kitty-cat? Think I’m gonna win?” 

You were perched on Taiga’s lap at a Blackjack table with the Frostheim students you were tasked with entertaining this evening. When Taiga appeared and immediately became very touchy with you in front of the others, you were sure they would get annoyed and leave. However, they seemed to be egged on even more by Taiga’s presence - setting higher and higher stakes each round.

You pretended to ponder his question, “Hmmmm, oh, I don’t know Taiga! My new friends here are quite good,” you flashed them a sultry smile, “but I also know how hard it is to beat you~” You had hooked an arm around his shoulders and neck, mindlessly playing with his hair. All of the physical touch seemed to really rile up the Frostheim students, as if it confirmed that you were a prize to be won by the highest bidder.

“Oh, is that so, Kitty?” Taiga said, leaning into your neck, “Well we will just have to see how good they really are.”

You glanced at the Frostheim students, who were watching you and Taiga intently. Both of them considered their cards again, one of them reaching for his chips to raise the bid, when suddenly a strong arm wrapped around your waist and essentially plucked you off of Taiga’s lap. You let out a yelp as you stumbled to catch your footing, leaning into the perpetrator for support, only to find yourself grasping onto Romeo’s arms.

“Oi, Lulu, what are you doing with my kitty-cat? We were just having fun-”

“They aren’t your kitty-cat you BTH!” Romeo barked at Taiga. Without letting Taiga respond, Romeo turned sharply on his heel, pulling you with him to the VIP lounge.

Flinging the doors open, he rushed you inside, yelled an order to not let anyone disturb you both, and then slammed the door shut. You heard the lock slide and click into place before Romeo whipped around to face you.

“Romeo, what the hell!” You crossed your arms and huffed at him as he began pacing the room. “I have been doing great tonight, those Frostheim bozos have been dropping money without a care all night, and they were about to drop even more since they were getting worked up over Taiga-”

At the mention of his name, Romeo suddenly stopped pacing, “DON’T-” he stopped himself, taking a breath. “Don’t bring up that BTH to me. He was way out of line tonight.”

“How was he out of line? He was riling them up, putting on a show to make them jealous, making them feel like they needed to flaunt their money in order to make an impression-”

Romeo huffed and ran a hand through his perfect hair, leaving himself looking disheveled. “He didn’t need to cling to you in order to do that! You didn’t need to play along so well either!”

You stared at him, bewildered. THAT is what he is upset about?? You crossed your arms in front of you and pinched the bridge of your nose, “Why does that matter to you!? The way I do my job is no concern of yours, especially after making your feelings so abundantly clear two days ago.”

Something snapped in Romeo’s expression. You watched the walls he had built come crumbling down - but you didn’t have time to process it. In an instant he had closed the space between you, grabbed a fist-full of your collar, and pulled you into a heated kiss.

You jumped, surprised by the action, but you didn’t pull away. Instead you matched his intensity, turning your head to deepen the kiss and threading your hand into his hair. He released your collar, sliding that hand up your shoulder and around the back of your neck, where he held you. His other hand wrapped around the small of your back, pulling you closer to him as he let out a low groan into the kiss. He wasn’t gentle, but you could feel all of his pent up feelings for you in that kiss, making you lightheaded.

You pulled away first, your need for air overpowering your desire to kiss him forever. You both stared at each other, panting and flushed. “Romeo, I-”

“It wouldn’t be bad.” He interrupted you.

Your eyebrows creased in confusion, “W-What?”

He let out a small breath, removing his hand from the back of your neck to press his thumb in between your eyebrows, smoothing out the tension there. “Liking you.. being with you.. it wouldn’t be bad. It isn’t bad,” he corrected.

Your eyes widened with realization - he was referring to your conversation from the other day. “Then why did you say those things? You were really mean, Romeo..” you pouted.

He sighed deeply, glancing away from you, “I don’t know. Maybe I was scared, or maybe I wasn’t ready to confront my feelings.” He made eye contact with you again, a serious look on his face, “But I know I was wrong. You have plagued my thoughts since that day, never giving me a moment to rest without being forced to confront my feelings towards you.” Your heart hammered in your chest as you listened, your blush returning to your cheeks and the tips of your ears. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing - Romeo’s confession was so serious, and so uncharacteristically open that you could almost believe that this whole moment was a dream. But that kiss.. that kiss was all the evidence you needed to know that this very much was real.

Romeo tucked your hair behind your ear, gently, with so much care and adoration that you melted into that small touch. That same hand then ghosted down your spine until it met his other hand, still resting at the small of your back, “And then you came here tonight to help.. it has been so hard to keep myself together, watching you in that outfit.” He pulled you closer to him, so your bodies were firmly pressed together, faces only inches apart. “I hated watching you entertain those Frostheim idiots - you’re too damn good at your job. But then Taiga.. that BTH slid his nasty little hands around you and I just couldn’t hold back anymore.”

You cupped his face and he leaned into your touch, letting out a small sigh. “Oh, Romeo..” you cooed. You brought his face closer to yours, stopping when your lips barely brushed together. “TDHB,” you whispered.

You felt him grin against you as he brought you in for another kiss. 

── .✦

New abbreviation meanings:

WDILL - What does it look like?

── .✦

“There you are, Doll!”

You had just made eye contact with Zenji, giving him a big, enthusiastic wave as he called out to you. You were heading to Hotarubi for a casual hang out with the ghouls, and though you have visited plenty of times to know the routes through the infamous misty bamboo forest, the guys still made sure one of them was available to greet you. The heartwarming gesture isn’t lost on you - in fact you are quite grateful to always have a smiling face waiting for you whenever you come to visit.

“Hi Zenji! How are you today? I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“No worries at all my dear, my brother and I only just arrived a little bit ago,” Zenji said, gesturing slightly with the doll in his arms. You smiled up at him, “Good, that is a relief to hear!” You made sure to also greet the doll as you pulled your small, personal umbrella out of your bag. “Shall we get going?”

“But of course! It would be wrong of us to keep Haku and Subaru waiting. Especially after Subaru fretted over which desserts to prepare for you today.” Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of Subaru, and your ears burned with the embarrassment of your crush on him, deepened only by the idea of him working so hard to do something kind for you. Zenji continued, enticing your flushed features, “He really is just a decent fella, isn’t he?”

You replied, half daydreaming of the kind hearted captain, “Yeah, he is.”

── .✦

Subaru entered the reception room holding a small platter of meticulously placed sweets, which was the final piece of what ended up being a rather elaborate spread of tea, snacks, and desserts. He placed the tray down on the low table, and took a step back to review the set-up. He hummed as he pondered, crossing an arm over his chest and bringing the other up to tap this chin gently.

Haku entered the room, stretching and yawning slightly. “Hey, Subaru.”

Subaru didn’t respond, too focused on the task at hand to notice his Vice-Captain’s entrance. Haku walked up next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Subaru-”

“Oh!” Subaru exclaimed, jumping away slightly and gripping his heart. “Ah, Haku.. you startled me.”

Haku chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, “Sorry.. I did call out to you before, but you didn’t say anything. You looked like you were hypnotized by the table.”

Subaru blushed, realizing how silly he must have looked just standing in the middle of the room, staring at the table. “Ah, no, don’t worry. I apologize for not hearing you and responding to you the first time. I was just contemplating the layout of the dishes on the table..” he gestured a bit awkwardly down to it.

Haku raised an eyebrow at him, eyes flicking between the table and Subaru. “I didn’t realize we were having a formal tea,” he said, voice laced with teasing undertones.

“Oh! N-No, it’s not a formal tea,” Subaru floundered for an explanation. “I just wanted to do something nice for the Honor Student, th-that’s all.” He gave Haku a sheepish smile, crossing an arm over his chest to hold himself gently.

Haku hummed, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Hmm, well in that case, I think it looks fine.” And with that, he plopped down on the ground, claiming one side of the table.

Subaru nodded, “Thank you, Haku! Your input is very valuable to me, so I will take your word for it.” Haku propped an elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand, and just smiled and hummed mischievously in response.

Subaru rocked awkwardly on his feet before making his way over to the hall to check if you were close. When he didn’t see you, he made his way across the room to look out a window which faced the gardens you would be coming through before entering the building. He looked for you between the bamboo, to no avail. He leaned forward a bit and closed his eyes, listening closely for the sound of Zenji. Instead of hearing the poet, he did hear the movement of feet back at the end of the hall, so he quickly made his way back over to that side of the room and poked his head out. He had just caught the glimpse of a Hotarubi uniform as it turned the bend at the end of the hall, and he sighed. Maybe watching from the window is better, he thought to himself, turning to make his way across the room again.

“Subaru, you are going to wear out the tatami if you keep pacing like that.”

Subaru immediately halted his steps, looking sheepishly to Haku, “Oh, right. Sorry, I really should take a seat.” He settled onto a cushion opposite of Haku, trying to give off a calm and collected aura.

Haku sat back and crossed his arms, looking at Subaru appraisingly. “So what’s got you all worked up today, hmm? Could it be this impending visit from the Honor Student?” Haku teased.

Subaru jolted, sitting a bit more rigidly with his cheeks blushing slightly. “N-No, nothing like th-that. I was thinking about something else entirely, but there is nothing to worry about!” He said as he straightened up the desserts on the tray, again, just to give his hands something to do.

Haku’s eyes followed the movement of Subaru’s hands, and Subaru intentionally avoided eye contact, continuing to pretend to be busy with the arrangement of sweets he had chosen. “Subaru, when are you going to be honest about your feelings?”

Subaru froze, blushing deeply, against his will. He glanced up at Haku, who was still watching him intently. “You don’t need to deny it, I can tell by the way you are fussing right now. Though I have to admit, I have suspected your crush for a while now,” Haku teased.

Subaru dropped the sweet he was still holding, and jolted. “Y-You did?!”

Haku gave out a hearty laugh, throwing his head back and leaning back on his hands. “Yeah, you are kind of obvious dude.”

Subaru buried his face in his hands and groaned. He felt so embarrassed. If Haku knew then… did that mean you did too??

Haku, not understanding Subaru’s turmoil, attempted to comfort him, “Hey, it’s no big deal! Don’t worry. Just be honest with them and ask them out!”

Subaru’s head snapped up, “Ask them out?? Haku, the last thing I want to do is ask the Honor Student on a date-”

The sounds of gasps from the doorway stopped him mid-sentence, and when he turned to face the sound, he was greeted by the sight of you and Zenji in the doorway of the room. Zenji’s eyes were wide with shock, and his hands were firmly clamped over his mouth. To Subaru’s horror, your face was scrunched up with a look that could only be described as pure heartbreak. When you both made eye contact, your lips began to quiver and you clutched your heart. Before Subaru could reach for you, before he could even open his mouth to try to explain the misunderstanding, you had turned and dashed back down the hallway.

── .✦

Three days had passed without a word from you. Subaru had attempted to call you and text you multiple times, but all of his calls went to voicemail and all of his texts were left unread.

He felt absolutely miserable. His mind had tortured him relentlessly with the image of you in the doorway, your heart visibly shattering. It was the first thought he had each morning, and the last one each night before he attempted to force himself to sleep. It was always present, lurking behind whatever task he was able to force to the front of his mind. It was inescapable.

And that is why today, the fourth day since his monumental fuck up, he was venturing into campus with the sole purpose of finding you.

He quickly realized that this attempt would be futile - at least for the next few hours - because it was the morning, surely you were in class at this time. He sighed, leaning against a lamp post, chastising himself for being so foolish. 

Maybe I could wait outside their classroom? No, that wouldn’t work. He didn’t know your time tables so he had no clue which class you were in. Also.. it would be kinda creepy of him to just wait for you there like that.

Oh! I could wait for them outside the main cafeteria! He perked up at the idea, but then quickly remembered why he avoided that place to begin with - there’s just too many people. He’s already emotionally worked up as it is, he couldn’t handle his stigma activating accidentally in a crowded space like that.

In the end, he opted to wait in the library. There was research he needed to do for an upcoming mission anyway, so he was determined to make good use of his time.

And today, luck would finally be on his side. He was absorbed in his work, notes strewn about, small stacks of books and articles scattered around the table he occupied, when he suddenly heard your laugh. His head snaps up and his eyes find you immediately, cheeks lightly flushed and laughing with Lyca.

His heart clenches, and it takes all of his self control to not run to you immediately. Instead, he watches the two of you make your way over to a table to sit together. Lyca pulls out his sketchbook and you pull out a textbook and notebook from your bag. Subaru realizes that you had come here together to keep each other company while working independently. He feels his heart squeeze again - not from despair this time, but from adoration. He is so proud of Lyca for stepping out of his comfort zone to work on his art in public, but also for being there for you when you needed a friend. And he was so grateful to you for taking Lyca under your protection to help acclimate him to campus - it’s just one of the many, many things that he adored about you.

He waited a bit before making his way over to your table. His heartbeat increased the closer he got to you. He was so nervous, but he had to talk to you. He had to make things right. 

He just hoped you would listen.

Lyca’s senses picked up on Subaru’s approach before you did, his eyes flicking up to see who was approaching. His face lit up when he realized it was Subaru, and he instinctively called out, “Hey, Suba!”

You jolted and immediately hushed Lyca, reminding him that visitors to the library needed to be quiet and mindful of the other visitors, and he pouted in response. You shook your head, lightly giggling- then your eyes met Subaru’s and you froze. The actual words Lyca had called out finally registering to you. You pulled away from Lyca, and practically shoved your nose into your textbook to avoid eye contact.

Subaru stopped in front of your table, “Hi Lyca. Hi Honor Student.”

You didn’t respond, pretending to be absorbed with your textbook.

“Hey! Suba said hi, did you hear him?” Lyca asked, nudging you. “You gotta say hi back. The blonde gigolo said it was.. uhh.. em-pole-ite if you don’t.”

“Ah- that’s okay Lyca, they don’t have to.”

“Huh? But I thought that being, uh, em-pole-ite was a bad thing?”

Subaru crossed his arm over his chest to hold himself, his typical self-soothing pose, “Ah, yes, that is true. But, the Honor Student has their reasons for it today, so it’s okay.”

This got you to peek up at him. He was looking at you so timidly, so tenderly that your heart did a backflip in your chest.

“Though,” he continued, “I was, um, h-hoping you would maybe help m-me with something?” 

You sighed. How were you supposed to say no when he was looking at you like that? “Um, yeah. Sure. I’ll be back in a little bit, Lyca.” 

Lyca’s eyes flipped between the two of you, likely trying to understand the tension he was feeling, but he just shrugged, “Alright,” and went back to his drawing.

Subaru led you into the maze of bookshelves, moving deeper and deeper into the library. After a bit, he paused and checked to see if anyone was around, before turning down a row which ended at a wall. You followed him, and became more and more nervous about what he needed from you when he suddenly stopped and turned around, causing you to almost bump into him.

“A-ah, sorry,” he said, taking a step back and pressing against the wall. “I just-” he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut, “I just needed to talk to you. But I couldn’t contact you, and it made me so worried and anxious. I don’t want you to hate me-”

“Hate you??” You cut him off, “Subaru, I could never hate you.”

“Oh, that is such a relief to hear,” he said, clutching his heart. “It’s just after the other day..” he swallowed thickly, resolving himself to finally clear the air, “I don’t know exactly what you heard, but I know that it hurt you. And for that I am so, so sorry.”

You looked away, nibbling your bottom lip to keep you from crying, “It’s- *ahem* It's okay, Subaru. You don’t have to apologize for how you feel.”

It was silent for a moment, before Subaru moved closer to you, gently taking your chin between his index finger and thumb and guiding you to look at him again.

His eyes were beginning to well with tears, and his eyebrows were scrunched together. “But that isn’t how I feel,” he said, barely above a whisper. You looked at him confused, prompting him to explain. “I had said that asking you on a date was the last thing I wanted to do, but not because I didn’t want to date you. I didn’t know if you felt the same way and I was terrified to change our friendship for the worse by confessing. Or by burdening you with my feelings when you have so many other things to worry about.” He moved his fingers from your chin to cup your cheek, brushing his thumb over your cheekbone. “In reality, I-” he lets out a puff of air, almost laughing to himself, “I am mesmerized by you.”

Your eyes grew wide, tears pricking at your eyes - from sadness? From disbelief? You weren’t quite sure - it felt as though the whole world had disappeared and all that remained was you and Subaru, and this corner of the library.

He smiles at you, eyes shining with the depths of his devotion. “I mean it. You have me desperate to be with you whenever I can. You are one of, if not the strongest and most extraordinary person I have ever met in my life. Your ability to be so compassionate, understanding, and helpful despite this overwhelming world you were thrown into is.. astonishing.” He brings his other hand up to cup your other cheek, “You make me feel lighter, just by being in your presence.”

“S-Subaru..” You could barely choke out his name, let alone the million questions that were swirling in your mind. You hoped your eyes could convey everything you couldn’t say out loud.

“Honor Student..i-if you would still have me, after everything I put you through this week, I would be incredibly honored. But I also understand if-”

“I will,” you breathed, cutting him off. “I will still have you, Subaru.” 

His face scrunched up with relief, gratitude, love, and he let out a small breathy laugh. You realized now that his hands, still holding you, were shaking lightly, so you lightly held onto his wrists, kneading reassuring circles into his skin with your thumbs.

You both stood there for a moment, just existing with one another, feeling the warmth of your connection hold you both and pull you together. 

His eyes flicked to your lips, and back up to your eyes, and he asked in a small voice, “May I kiss you?”

You were already leaning in. “Yes,” you whispered against his lips. You felt him smile as he closed the last bit of distance between you, kissing you gently.

── .✦

Yuri’s mind was racing - full of thoughts of his current experiment, the other three on-going projects he has paused, your curse and his never-ending theories for breaking it, watching the time to make sure Jiro gets his treatments when needed, and -

“Yuri, did you hear me?”

Your voice broke through the chaos of his mind, returning him to the present. You were standing next to him, holding a tray covered in various small medical tools for him. You were also shifting your weight back and forth constantly - so much so that the tools on the try began to slide around.

His eyes narrowed at you in annoyance, “Stand still worm! You are going to cause too many interruptions with all of this movement and I will not have my efficiency affected because you can’t get it together! What is wrong with you?” 

You immediately stilled your movements, your body going as stiff and rigid as a statue. “S-Sorry Yuri! I just got nervous because you didn’t respond to me..” You cast your eyes to the side, blush burning your face and the tops of your ears. Yuri observed your behavior with continued annoyance - this conversation was wasting his precious time! “Well spit it out then so we can move on!”

You took in a breath and hesitated before turning back to face Yuri. The disgruntled look on his face made your heart ache. Squeezing your eyes shut, you repeated your confession to him in one quick breath - “Yuri.. Ireallylikeyouasmorethanafriend a-and would m-maybe reallyliketogoonadatewithyou sometime..!”

Yuri’s face immediately flushed a deep red color as his heart began to pound in his ears. He didn’t understand why your confession affected him the way it did, so he reacted the only way he could - by not addressing it at all and deflecting the feeling. He let out a scoff to shake his nerves off, prompting you to peek at him through your lashes. “I am the great Doctor Isami Yuri! It is only natural for you to fall for me! But I simply do not have the time for a worm such as yourself when there are great medical discoveries awaiting me!” He placed one hand on his chest and gestured grandly with the other with those last few words. Standing up, he grabbed the tray from your hands and walked over to a counter behind you, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will no longer entertain interruptions from my work.”

From behind him, he heard you let out a shaky breath, followed by a sniffle - were you crying? A pang of guilt and something far heavier flooded his system, but he quickly shook it off and pretended to busy himself with the tray. You turned towards the door, making your way to leave. But before you shut the door behind you, you hesitated and said “Thank you for listening to me Yuri. I am sorry to have interrupted your work.”

With that, you shut the door with a soft click, and Yuri finally let out the breath he had been holding. He slapped himself with both hands to clear his mind. Why does it bother me so much if they cried? I have more important things to do than worry about such frivolous things. He squared his shoulders, turning around again to continue his work, only to immediately freeze.

The room Yuri was working in was connected to the larger lab, and had two large windows connecting the spaces for observation purposes. Yuri had expected you to have already left, so he was surprised to see you still there, and even more surprised to see you with Jiro.

The taller ghoul was looking down at you attentively while you gestured with your hands - no doubt telling Jiro about what had transpired moments before. He opened his mouth to reply, placing a hand gently in the middle of your back to guide you over to a chair for you to sit. Yuri’s chest tightened at the sight of Jiro’s hand on you and he felt a compelling urge to stomp out there and yell at Jiro to stop - but he held back the impulse, thinking instead about his still unfinished work.

Just as Yuri was sitting down to resume, movement from that area of the lab caught his eye again, making him glance up. Jiro had apparently left you for a moment, but had now returned. He knelt down in front of you and offered you a chilled bottle of water, and a small packet of tissues. You took both from him, immediately opening the tissues to wipe your face. Jiro watched you closely, then leaned over you to reach for the water bottle you had set aside. He opened it in one swift motion, and offered it to you again. This time his opposite hand held your shoulder as you accepted the water and took a drink. 

Yuri’s jealousy returned, full force, while watching the exchange. But it was the comforting squeeze of your shoulder and the small smile that Jiro gave you that sent him over the edge. Before he could really realize what he was doing, Yuri was up and across the room, throwing open the door to the lab. He marched over to you and Jiro, stopping to cross his arms over his chest and demand, “Would someone like to explain what is happening here?!”

You jumped a little, startled at Yuri’s sudden presence, but Jiro just looked up to Yuri nonchalantly. He released your shoulder and used that hand to gesture to you while saying, “They were experiencing emotional distress. As their doctor, it is my job to help ease their symptoms. Tissues to clean their face, water to make sure they stay hydrated after crying, and physical comfort to help bring them down from their state of distress.” 

You clenched the tissue you were holding and glanced down, embarrassment flushing your face. Jiro was being so kind, you couldn’t say no to his help, but you did not want Yuri to find you in this state. However, to your surprise, Yuri reached out a hand to yours and guided you to stand. “Let me remind you that I am their primary doctor, so it is my job to provide such care to them”, he said to Jiro, snatching the tissue packet from his hands. “And it is almost time for your treatment too, Jiro! Go get ready in the other room. I will be there shortly.”

Jiro stood up from the ground, looking between the two of you with a small smile, “Sure, Yuri.”

With that, Yuri grabbed your wrist and led you back into the room where you both were working. He brought you over to the chair he was previously sitting in, and returned to the door to close it quietly. He let out a shaky breath and turned to you, finding you watching him with wide eyes. He approached you, and knelt down in front of you, similarly to Jiro. Opening the tissue packet, he took one out and gently wiped your face with it.

The gesture was so gentle and sweet - making your heart melt. But it also made you confused - Why is he doing this if he just rejected me?

He let out a small sigh and said, “You are probably wondering why my behavior has been so extreme.” You blinked in surprise, Can he read minds too???

He stopped cleaning your face, glancing down, “I reacted to your..confession very harshly, and in a manner that was not true.” He glanced back up, meeting your eyes. You could see pain there, but also something lighter and sweeter, something like adoration. “Seeing Jiro with you made me, a-ahem, j-jealous- which made me realize how much I actually enjoy the idea of, ahem, s-spending more time with you.”

You watched his face flush with blush again. Holding eye-contact, you knew that this time he was telling the truth, and your heart began hammering in your chest. “Do you mean that, Yuri?”

He gently grasped your hand, “Yes, I do.” He looked at you for a moment before standing and flourishing his arms again, “And the great Doctor Isami Yuri never goes back on his word!” 

You rolled your eyes, but also couldn’t help but giggle at his theatrics. Standing quickly from the chair, you were able to grasp Yuri’s face and bring him down for a quick peck on the cheek. 

He jolted away from you, turning an even deeper shade of red all over, stammering out nonsense, “Why-! You- uh, I mean- we? Wait, no- I mean, us- ah-”

You smiled at him, picking up the tray from before and resuming your position next to his chair. “I would be delighted to spend more time with you, Doctor. But first we have an experiment to complete.”

He ran his hand over his face as if to rub off his blush. Giving a quick laugh he replied, “Yes, you are right. Let us continue.” He made his way over, taking his rightful place by your side.

── .✦

It was dusk when you left the library, having spent the better part of your day digging through this week’s new materials for anything that could give you an idea of how to break your curse. This had become a pillar of your weekly routine - something consistent in between missions that continued to yield very little progress. You would stay in the library for hours scouring new materials, so absorbed in your research that the rest of the world would disappear.

Your stomach growled, as if to emphasize just how much you lost yourself in your reading - it has been hours since you last ate, but you are only just now feeling the effects. You clutched your stomach and groaned, pivoting midstep to make your way over to the campus convenience store to pick up a quick bite. You knew you should probably have something more substantial than just cup ramen, but it was late and you were tired. Quick convenience outweighed the need for nutrition.

You pushed open the door to the campus store, hearing its bell tinkling overhead. Benkei was nowhere to be seen, but you could see the store manager snoozing away on the front counter. You let out a small laugh at the sight and shoved down the urge to give them a little scratch behind the ears, instead forcing your feet toward the back of the store where the cup ramen display was. 

Unfortunately for you, this section of the store could have hardly been considered a “display”. A wreckage would be more accurate - the shelves were almost completely barren, leaving behind only one option for your sodium-packed meal: plain beef. It didn’t even include any additional seasonings or a measly little veggie packet - it was literally just beef-flavored broth and noodles. As if sensing your hesitation, your stomach let out another growl, this one louder than the first. You sighed and begrudgingly snatched up the ramen cup as if it had personally offended you, and turned to head to the register. However, you immediately slammed head-first into someone’s chest, their hands instinctively finding their way to your waist to steady you.

“Ooff- easy, Senpai. You may have it out for that ramen, but I sure as hell didn’t do anything to ya.”

You jolted and scrambled backwards out of Sho’s arms, face flushing red with embarrassment. “Ah! Sorry, Sho! I didn’t see you-”

“It’s okay,” he interrupted, adopting his usual lop-sided grin and teasing eyes. You blushed just a little more and looked away to avoid direct eye-contact. It’s already bad enough that you felt ridiculous for your lack of self-awareness, but the fact that it just so happened to be your crush? You thought you may as well order your gravestone now since you were sure to fall over dead at any moment.

Sho crossed his arms, looking at you appraisingly and with just a little too much amusement in his eyes. “So, what did the ramen do to earn your wrath?”

His question helped knock you out of your embarrassment a bit as you were reminded by how hungry you were. “Oh, I just came from the library and realized I was starving, so I came to pick up something quick and easy, but the selection tonight is..” you turned and gestured, “..disappointing.” 

His eyes followed your hands and he nodded in understanding. “Yeah, the plain isn’t the best. But you know, you could easily dress that up to make it more substantial and nutritious.”

You blinked. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head and laughed lightly, “I mean you could cut up some veggies to put in there, maybe even boil an egg. If you really wanted to go all out, you could even cook your own meat to add.” He brought a hand up to his chin, clearly considering even more possibilities. You studied him, appreciating the way his eyes seemed to sparkle when talking about cooking, and felt your heart bloom with the warmth of adoration. Talking to Sho was always an enjoyable experience, but when you got him hooked on talking about food or cooking, the twinkle in his eye would steal your breath away.

You shook your head slightly to center yourself back in the present. “That sounds great, Sho, I just don’t really have any groceries at the cathedral at the moment so.. plain it is I guess,” you laughed weakly, scratching the back of your neck.

Sho gave you an incredulous look. “Obviously you can come with me to Vagastrom for that. You know I always have fresh ingredients on hand, Senpai.”

Embarrassed blush bloomed across your cheeks and burned your ears. “Oh! Um, thank you, Sho. I’m sorry, I just never want to assume-”

“You don’t need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Right. Sor-” Sho shot you an unamused look, stopping the words in your mouth.

“Ah, ahem. Right. Thanks, Sho.”

He cracked a smile at that and rolled his eyes. “C’mon Senpai, let’s go make your sad ramen.”

── .✦

In the Vagastrom kitchen, you prepped a kettle with water for the ramen while Sho washed the veggies he pulled out for you - green onions and bamboo shoots. “We’ll boil an egg for you too, but that will be easy,” he said while finishing up his task. He pulled out two cutting boards and set one in front of you. “Think you can take care of the green onion?”

You scoffed, “I may not cook a lot, but I can cut up an onion just fine.” You swiped the vegetable from his hand and shook it in his face. It had actually been quite a long time since you last found yourself chopping vegetables, but that was clearly irrelevant at the moment.

Sho held up his hands in mock surrender, “Okay, okay easy with the onion Senpai.” He flashed you his lop-sided grin, “You take care of that while I prep the bamboo shoots, ‘kay?”

“Okay!” You chirped in response.

You turned towards your cutting board and began to work. The first few cuts were a little clumsy, resulting in pieces a bit too large for your liking. You slowed down, repositioned your hands to mimic what you have seen people do in cooking videos on YouTube, and tried again. The cuts were cleaner and smaller, the perfect size for slurping up with noodles. 

You smiled a little to yourself, proud that you were able to perform the task so well. You always felt as though there was something deeply satisfying in being able to execute simple tasks well - but in this moment, there was the added bonus that if you impress Sho enough, he may praise your good work. Your ears burned with excitement and embarrassment at the thought, and while you silently scolded yourself for being so silly, you didn’t realize how dangerously close the knife was getting to your fingers until-

“Ah, shit!”

You immediately dropped the knife and it clanged onto the countertop as you brought your cut finger up to your mouth to suckle. Luckily, you were only cutting onions so you weren’t pressing very hard. It was a very minor cut, but you were still bleeding.

Immediately Sho was at your side, gingerly pulling your hand away from your mouth by the wrist. “Let me see. Are you okay?”

You nodded, “Yeah it’s just a little cut, but I think I need a bandaid.”

Sho looked at your hand and saw the blood blooming on the skin of your finger and nodded. “Wash your hands in the sink, I’ll get the first-aid kit.”

You did as you were told and by the time you were finished, Sho had returned with the first-aid kit. He was already pulling out a small bottle of anomalous medicine and a bandaid when he motioned for you to give him your hand.

You reached for him and he gently cupped your hand in his. His warmth spread through your fingers and zipped up your arms. You felt your face flush again, and you mentally chided yourself for being ridiculous - he was just helping you with an injury, there was no reason to make this a romantic moment.

Unaware of your mental turmoil, Sho calmly spread a little anomalous medicine across the pad of the bandaid before wrapping it snugly around your finger. “There, all better. What happened anyway?”

You thought back, and remembered that you were imagining him praising you for your expert knife skills and sputtered. “I- ah, um. I just got a little distracted..” You looked at the ground as you spoke, not brave enough to see his disapproving face while you partially came clean.

You heard him scoff before you felt him flick your forehead.

“Ow! Sho-”

“That is for being dumb and getting distracted with a knife in your hand,” he said, firmly. You shrunk back a little, knowing that you definitely deserved that punishment. “But this,” he said softly as he lifted your bandaged finger to his face and gave it a tender kiss, “is a good luck charm to keep it from happening again.” He smiled at you confidently, making your heart flutter for the umpteenth time this evening. All you could do was smile in return while your mind whirled with emotions.

“Take a seat over here, and I will finish up your food, okay? No more kitchen time for you today,” he said thoughtfully, with a hint of teasing.

This snapped you out of your flood of emotions and made you laugh, “Yeah, okay, I think that is fair. Thank you, Sho.”

── .✦

You were late. Not late by Jin or Romeo’s unrealistic standards, but actually, really, late. 

You were assigned to Vagastrom to assist with their new mission, and you were supposed to meet at 7:00 am in front of the Galaxy Express to debrief and make your way into Tokyo. But you had stayed up quite late last night doing research and preparation for the mission, so you had accidentally slept through your first alarm and woke up to the second - the one you set to go off when you need to leave your dorm in order to be on time for the meeting.

You had skyrocketed out of bed when you saw the time and scrambled to get ready. Now, at 7:12 am, you were sprinting to the train station, face flushed from the exertion but also from embarrassment. Though this is the first time you have ever been late, you knew that a certain chaotic combo of ghouls from Vagastrom would most definitely give you hell for it all day.

You rounded the last corner, the Galaxy Express station coming into view, and you felt a wave of relief flood over your body. All three ghouls stood waiting for you - a small part of you was nervous they would just leave you behind, but looking at the concerned expression on Alan’s face made you realize that he would not have let that happen.

You slowed your pace and came to a halt in front of them, doubling over with your hands on your knees for support and taking in huge gulps of air. “Sorry, *gasp* for being la- *gasp* being late,” you forced out.

Sho crossed his arms, and looked at you with an expression mixed with concern and amusement, “Geeze Senpai, breathe. It’s not that deep.” You lifted your head, giving an appreciative gaze to Sho - and at the same time you heard an annoyed scoff come from behind him.

Leo moved Sho out of the way and stood in front of you, hands on his hips. He was giving you his classic smirk that he often wore when he was actively scheming, or plotting something. “Wow, I didn’t even know it was possible for an NPC to go against their programming. Looks like you can’t even be relied on as an NPC, huh?”

You stood back up to your full height, still breathing heavily, and rolled your eyes at the silver-haired ghoul. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Good morning to you too, Leo,” you said, waving him off.

His eyebrows scrunched together and his smug grin twitched, but before he was able to retort, Alan had brought everyone back on track to discuss the mission. While you were giving your review of the research you had done the night before, Leo watched you closely, his heart twisting with irritation. You brushing him off was affecting him in ways he was not anticipating - and he decided that you were going to have to take responsibility for it. 

Luck would be on his side today because as you were concluding your report, you had recommended that the four of you split into pairs, and Alan nodded in agreement. Before any other recommendations could be made, Leo had looped his arm in yours and pulled you up next to him, insisting you two pair up. He noticed the way your cheeks had suddenly flushed again from the physical contact and proximity, and he grinned. Yeah, this was going to be a lot of fun.

── .✦

The mission had you investigating a new skincare brand that has recently gone viral on social media. In the last month, the brand has held several influencer events around Tokyo to publicize their newest products, and strange occurrences have been happening at each event. A select few A-list influencers have been reported missing, and at almost every event, attendees reported having missing memories of the evening, though most of them attributed this to alcohol consumption. However, through your research into the catering company used at every event, you were able to discover that the company does not offer a selection of alcoholic drinks - so either someone was bringing in drinks off-menu, or there was something else causing the memory lapses entirely.

Darkwick decided to capitalize Leo’s influencer status for this mission - easily securing him a direct invitation to the next event with a plus one. After Leo had immediately claimed you as his investigation partner, it was decided that you would attend the event as a couple. Afterall, Leo had already posted some teasing images of you on his social media platforms to make his audience think he was in a private relationship - the tension of not having a clear answer made his views and interactions go up exponentially.

You knew why Leo was using and uploading your photos, but you still felt a sense of excitement and elation to see glimpses of yourself on his pages and to read the vague captions referencing “his favorite person”. Whenever he asked you for more photos, you always felt happy and would immediately send him whatever he asked for - and part of you found this to be incredibly pathetic. Instead of owning up to your feelings and approaching him directly, you continued to let him toy with you and showcase your fake relationship online.

That complacency is what ultimately led you to the position you were in now - set up in a hotel suite with the ghouls in one room and you in another, getting ready for tonight’s event. Alan and Sho were getting ready to infiltrate the event as extra security while you and Leo were preparing for your public appearance.

Leo was usually a smartass and a tease, but for some reason you felt as though he had really been laying it on thick today. He was constantly glued to your side, making snide comments about the way you investigated, your ability to adapt and be flexible as plans were changed, but you were well used to these kinds of comments at this point. What you were not used to were the suggestive comments about your fake relationship and the nonchalant way Leo discussed how the two of you would need to act tonight to be believable.

He went through all of the normal things you would expect from a couple - hand holding, linking arms, sitting together, etc., but for some reason he was really hung up, and honestly really insistent, on the two of you kissing.

At this point it has been hours since he switched gears and fixated on the topic, hitting you with comments like, “Have you even kissed anyone before Honor Roll? You have to make it convincing you know,” and “I know that getting to kiss me is a dream come true for you, but you better stay focused. It is going to be really irritating if your ability were to stop working again tonight because you were busy swooning over me.” The first few times he had said something, it was definitely shocking, and you are certain you gave him the response he had been looking for - gasps, wide eyes, frozen movement. But as he kept teasing, the comments started to wriggle their way into your heart and plant themselves there, causing you to flush with embarrassment every time he brought it up.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and sighed - just thinking about it was riling you up again. You shook your head and patted your face, trying to shake off the memories and the reactions he was able to pull from you even when he wasn’t present. You didn’t want him to see how shaken you were, and it was time to reconvene with everyone before heading over to the event.

You left your room and knocked on the door to the one the ghouls were sharing. You could hear some feet pattering around and conversations happening behind the door, but everything was too muffled for you to quite make out. Suddenly the door flew open and you were met with Sho, dressed head-to-toe in all black, looking sharp as ever. His eyes grazed down your form quickly, taking you in, “Wow, hi Senpai. You look good.”

You let out a laugh, “Pff- thank you, Sho.” He gestured for you to enter the room and you did, preparing yourself for whatever off-the-wall comment Leo was going to make. Your eyes met Alan’s first, who was also dressed in all-black, and he nodded at you in recognition. You looked further into the room where you found Leo with his back facing you, taking photos of himself - no doubt getting extra material and content ready for the post he would make about the event. Even if it was a mission, he was still there officially on work as an influencer, so he was definitely going to monetize the hell out of it.

He turned around, sensing the energy in the room shift and froze when he saw you. You had never seen him behave like this before - just, literally frozen, mid-turn with his phone in his hand and his camera app still open.

Sho quirked an eyebrow up and exchanged confused looks with you before turning back to Leo to say, “Earth to Leo? Are you good?”

Leo jolted as if Sho had hit him, but recovered quickly - his smug grin sliding across his features easily. “Well, Honor Roll, it's a good thing you clean up well. I had considered not giving you the satisfaction of a kiss if I didn’t like the way you looked, but it looks like you will get lucky tonight afterall~”

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest, “Leo what is your deal? You have been stuck on the idea of us kissing tonight for hours. Do you have an oral fixation or something?” Sho snickered next to you and Leo shot him a glare. 

“You know, I have been trying to be considerate of you, NPC. I wanted to give you enough warning that your heart could be prepared for it but if this is how you are going to-”

“Really?” You interjected teasingly, “All of this has been on my behalf?” You approached him and saw him stiffen, clearly not expecting this response from you after you have been acting so shy and embarrassed all day. You stopped right in front of him, leaned in and whispered, “Because to me it looks like you are just preparing yourself, Leo-kun~”

His eyes widened in surprise and he floundered just a little, trying to recover, “That is such a ridiculous statement. Why would I ever be nervous about kissing you? This is a big opportunity for you, not for me.”

“Prove it.”

His face twisted in annoyance, “No. I don’t have to prove shit.” He side-stepped you, clearly intending on ending the conversation, and as he did, you caught a clear view of his ears flushed red with embarrassment. Moving quickly, you turned towards him, left arm reaching out to grab his wrist and right hand getting a fist-full of his collar, and you pulled him in all at once, finally kissing him.

Leo stiffened in response, and you felt his face flush with heat. In the next moment though, he had dropped his phone, threading his hand in your hair to deepen the kiss, and wrapping his other arm around your waist to pull you close to him. You hummed with satisfaction, and he nipped at your bottom lip. 

You pulled back from him, meeting his frustrated gaze with a mischievous one. “So what was that about not being nervous to kiss me?~” You asked. He scoffed and pulled his hand out of your hair, giving your forehead a flick. “You’re such a brat,” he muttered.

You planted a chaste kiss to his lips again before replying, “Takes one to know one~”

Leo moved as if to pull you into another kiss but was interrupted by a deep *AHEM*. Both of you snapped your heads to the side, meeting Alan’s gaze. You both completely forgot that other people were in the room with you. You awkwardly cleared your throat and pushed Leo away from you. “Sorry about that.. Got a little carried away,” you said sheepishly. “Let’s get back to the mission, I will take care of him later.”

Leo plopped down onto an armchair near where you were standing, muttering beneath his breath and desperately trying to calm his heart, “Like hell you will.”