#tkdb jin

Tohma Ishibashi

Tohma had you wrapped in one of his arms, pressed against his chest to shield you if the anomaly found your hiding spot. He wanted to keep his halberd at the ready, but it didn’t fit inside, so he palmed the keychain, ready to use it if the door was opened. 

He listened for footsteps, receding down the hall. He also heard your heavy, fearful breathing. He felt your breath wash over his neck. It sent a pleasant chill down his spine. He tore his gaze from the door to look at you. He couldn’t help but smile at your pinched expression. You were huddled into the corner, hands around his waist since there was no good place to put them in the confined space. 

You noticed his stare and were taken aback at how calm, even amused he looked. That suave glimmer never left his eyes, even now. Seeing him still confident and in control steeled your nerves. As a reward for you trying to be brave, he leaned down enough for your foreheads and noses to touch. You weren’t sure which one of you angled your head for a kiss. If it was you, he met you without hesitation. He captured your lips for as long as he could, distracting you from your fears and promising more to come after your mission was complete. 

Lucas Errant

Luca was torn. His instincts screamed for him to give chase, rushing into battle, but he had been chastised for abandoning you and Kaito too many times. That was why he corralled you into a locker and shielded you. His swords were at the ready, held by his sides with the bladed edges pointed away from you. He ground his teeth, angry that it was too big and destructive to engage head on without risking your safety. He gripped his swords so hard his arms shook.

He glanced at you to scan you for injuries, finding a soft, concerned expression on what he could make out of your face in the shadows. 

That was all he needed to know he made the right choice. His habits were reckless and he regretted making you worry about him, and about yourself in his hands. He needed your trust as much as he needed you to be safe. Defending you was his way of letting you know how important you are to him, but that message had been lost in his foolish, thoughtless actions. 

Luca took a deep breath to calm himself more, and pressed a kiss to your cheek to reassure you. You were surprised, as surprised as he was at himself. He didn’t even think about it, he just acted. Again. He gaped, mouthing his apologies when you smiled and kissed him on the lips. 

How he wished he wasn’t holding his swords so he could hold your hand instead. When you pulled back, he chased your lips, wanting more. He chuckled at himself and pressed his forehead against yours. 

“I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered. He sealed his promise with another quick kiss and resumed his vigil. 

Kaito Fuji

The two of you clung to each other, terrified of the thing neither of you could fight off. Every one of Kaito’s wheezing exhales carried a whimper. He stifled them in your shoulder, pressing his mouth to the crook of your neck and hoping he wouldn’t get you caught. 

His mind whirled, chastising himself for being an embarrassment of a man in his eyes. He cared about you so much, he couldn’t even keep you safe. He took deep lungfuls of air in the stifling locker, desperate for it once he noticed the smell of your soap and shampoo. Your smell calmed him, and when he picked his head up his lips grazed the column of your neck by accident. 

You gasped at the sensation, his soft, warm lips sent a tingle across your skin. Kaito sucked his lips in as if he could take back the blunder. 

“Sorry!” He clamped his hand over his mouth when he whispered too loud, the sound slicing through the silence that was all that protected you from the patrolling anomaly. 

More guilt washed over him. Not only could he not protect you, but he was being inappropriate without meaning to. Your thighs were between each other’s, your chests were pressed together, breaths mingling in the limited space between you. If not for how terrified he was, this would have been a dream come true for him. But he was sure you wanted to be anywhere else, with anyone else. Someone stronger, someone hotter. You probably hated him for touching and smelling you like some kind of opportunistic freak. 

You touched his cheek to get his attention. He looked like a spooked small animal, wanting to dart into a hole and never be seen again. There was one sure way you could distract and reassure him that you didn’t mind the accidental kiss to your neck. Once his bright green eyes were locked to yours, his mouth slightly parted, you pressed a soft kiss to his lips and felt him freeze. He stopped breathing and squirming as he processed what was happening. You pulled away before his brain could catch up. His eyes widened and he licked his lips, the realization that you just kissed him hitting him in waves. 

Kaito stuttered, wanting to ask what, why, how, here? 

Holding a mission report in his hands, he had been looking around for you to get your signature

Alan wasn't much for texting and Leo Said he was tired of doing his dirty work for him, whatever that meant.

There was nothing wrong with the old fashioned way, a simple stroll around the school might do him good and give him some time to think

Everything seemed harmless enough, for once. He didn't hear a bunch of horrible things as he walked through the halls but good things never last forever

People stared at Alan, saying things in loose whispers he that made him wonder if they were trying at all.

He was always the subject of the one-eyed sleeping Beauty murders, he couldn't exactly blame people for thinking that way given his track record.

And part of him assumed that he deserved this.

For everything that he'd done, for all of his own crimes, this was his fate. He took responsibility for it.

But there you were

A fire cracker in the smack middle of chaos, voice so passionate about ... Alan? Him? Really?

The words it sounded so vague at first he wasn't sure who you were talking about.

But once you said his name and mentioned how he continued to show you the utmost of kindness, even when he didn't have to, he was surprised.

Alan didn't think it mattered, nor did he think that you really noticed. At most he only showed you what he saw as common decency.

It wasn't as much as you deserved but it was at least something given this unfair environment in the school for you...

You mentioned his kindness to the delivery cats and his face tensed as though it struck a nerve, his head turning to the side with a nervous blush coating his cheeks

This was becoming a compliment fest and he couldn't keep letting it go on. It was very kind of you but entirely unnecessary to shower him in such praise

Listening to it made his ears red

And as he walked forward, reaching out of hand to rest on your shoulder - smack dab in the middle of his chest there you were.

The two of you stared at each other, words seemed pointless, every single one of them failed. Both of you at the same time leading him to just stare at you.

What was he to say? Thanks for the compliments, but I'm really not that good of a person?

That felt like what he should say but it also felt like you'd hit him for saying it...

Instead he just acted as though he didn't hear anything. Awkwardly requesting your signature on these papers and giving you a pat on your head

A luxury he didn't deserve but a luxury he would take

Walking through the warm air of Summer, the world felt a little warmer

A small walk outside of his dorm to clear his head, that's all he thought it to be. There was no harm in it

After all, you can only get better at working with a clear head

A few distant conversations caught his ears but he forced himself to remain ignorant, it was the only way to get through this

Forcing a smile, his steps slightly hurried, perhaps he should go soon...

Subaru was usually a sore subject for people at the school. He couldn't even find the words to apologize for it because he simply didn't want to talk about all of the things that were going on.

People felt like they were owed an explanation because he was a public figure

To things that simply didn't concern them, it wasn't his job to bring them into the loop, but it certainly left him dealing with the brunt of the frustrations.

And yet not so distantly you were speaking

The words were coming out of your lips with such passion, veracity behind it in a way he hadn't expected.

It was as though you were reading an impassioned monologue from a writer. You admired so deeply. The every word resonated with you even years later

Taking a few delicate steps closer as to not alert you to his presence or startle you out of your impassioned speech

The closer he got, the more he heard his name.

At first you mentioned his kindness, that he didn't try to touch you his even though he could get a full read on you with just a simple touch. It was a little surprising to hear you talking about him like that

Especially as the other student tried to counter. Their words were impassioned in their own way and in a much more aggressive style.

The kind of words he was used to.

But you were having none of it. You wouldn't let anyone speak ill of him in your vicinity

Warmth spread through his chest so quickly. He wasn't sure if he was admiring you or actually falling in love with you just from words alone

Had you truly felt this way the entire time? Was he missing out on signs from you that were indicating you saw him differently? Or was this just an intense version of friendship?

He'd never been stuck up for like that. He always had to be the man to stick up for himself...

Subaru for his part, just rounded the corner.

A placid smile on his face more aimed awkwardly towards the other students before he looked your way

He was wondering if you'd like to come over for tea. It's been so long since you've been over... He's begun to miss you

He most certainly wasn't on campus. Being around that many people spelled disaster and he wasn't about to get into any of that.

Deaths favorite Bartender was currently on the phone with everyone's favorite wolf.

They were squawking back and forth at each other, he had just asked the little man to get him some ingredients for the bar tonight

So very distantly he could hear the sound of people arguing... It was loud, and only getting more disrespectful by the second one

Trying to ask the dog - he could only hear the growling. He was trying his best to make out the words

New gossip around school was very often hard for him to get these days~

And then the words fell from the other person's lips. Ones he could make out.

Murderer, sleaze bag, Playboy.

All the usual things he thought to himself in moments of self-hatred and vitriol.

Things... he often worried that you saw in him and the others knew him to truly be

The way he could talk to people and never touch them, the way all of his compliments had to end in the ways people can get close to him.

And the very consistent way that he seemed to push people who were close to him away

The laugh he let out was self-deprecating

It felt so small coming from his lips that he didn't even realize it came out at all

Trying to usher the dog boy to move on faster and to just get out of there already yielded very little results, he was mad and he was going to tell people about it.

That would only make Rui look worse, having another one of the people most hated running around playing defense for him didn't look good.

There were a number of girls who would do that already. Unprompted. Not like he relied on them

But then you started speaking

Rui made you feel like you belonged

Like you weren't the only person here with a curse and could relate to how you felt and the way that you reacted to different information.

He was the most sympathetic person here for everything you were going through.

Unlike other people on this campus, he saw you as a person not a tool.

The words he would say would consider your feelings and consider how people around you were making you feel. Who else did that for you?

Even on your lowest days he would invite you to the bar not to hit on you but to talk to you, to have you let out your emotions. Maybe they have a different experience with him, maybe he was a worse person before but you weren't there to comment on that person. The man - the ghoul that you knew was an amazing and caring man with the deepest heart

Rui couldn't take it. His finger clicked the hang up button before his mind could retaliate.

What was he supposed to say to that? How is he supposed to react when you were out there? Defending him like some knight in shining armor?

Wasn't he supposed to be the one there to protect you and help you?

Suppose he did.

Maybe a little too effectively.

And yet he couldn't stop that small smirk from growing on his face. More proud of you by the second

Maybe he should send you some flowers soon...

Jiro often walked these hallowed Halls where even the small and pathetic would manage to find a comment to say about him..

He was only in class because you asked him to. He only even arrived on time because you had managed to convince him that this class was important...

Well, he's still completely doubted that to be a fact, he went. If only to silence all of your protests and annoying noises.

He was on his way back, there were many things to be worked on and he didn't have time to continue going to classes just to appease you.

The commotion going on hardly even registered anymore

The complaints, words that he was a monster, a freak, a Frankenstein and of course, very obviously that he was the one who committed those murders.

Perhaps he should have been offended, maybe if he was a normal person he would have been.

But it's hard to be offended about things you just don't care about.

And have no knowledge of.

Things like this were never worth getting yourself worked over anyways.

It would raise your stress levels which could cause other symptoms in the body to react more strongly. Strong emotions just weren't worth it for him and carried more wrists than they were worth

He didn't even shrug as he continued walking forward.

He had noticed you were there, it was hard not to recognize your voice. It would take more effort to pretend he didn't hear it then acknowledge that he did. But you were doing what he wasn't expecting

For some odd reason, despite you not having the knowledge about the murder case or even the knowledge of his past self, you were defending him as though you had known him your entire life.

Suppose you had known him. For the majority of his restarted life. For some reason that didn't seem to bother you

It was almost amusing, if he could find it such, that you didn't care about the potential of him being a murderer. Maybe it would have no bearing on your year here - but what if it did?

Then again, logically speaking murdering you would just be pointless... Even if he was one of the killers or the killer in question... You would die soon. Anyways, it would be a monumental example of wasted effort

What was he on again?

Oh right.

You turned around, bumping into him like he wasn't the biggest most obvious thing and the reason that the people in front of you were stuttering. He didn't care much.

Just nodded at you. Solemnly

Reminding you to be careful where you stepped. If you can run into an object as big as him, then there's no telling what other smaller objects would find your force.

No, he honestly didn't seem to care that you defended him or it just didn't register to him at all. To him it wasn't the problem, everyone was entitled to their opinions

But as he arrived back in his room a little earlier than expected, something strange caught his gaze. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny smile tugging nearly imperceptibly at the corner of his lips...

Why was that?

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