zanka nijiku doesn’t know what to do when you start crying in the middle of an argument.
before zanka could finish his sentence, his tensed shoulders eased, his furrowed brows straightened, and his words disappeared into the back of his throat—all because he could see how your eyes started to glisten with tears, and how you bit your lip to stop your tears from falling.
he freezes on his feet as your sobs break the deafening silence, unaware of what to do at the very moment, even though it has happened times before whenever the two of you fight over something, no matter how big or small the problem is. and one thing’s for sure, he doesn’t like seeing you like this.
zanka hates it when this happens, most especially because he knows he’s part of the reason why you’re crying.
he chews the inside of his mouth, contemplating whether to give you space and leave you alone or find a way to comfort you and hold you close. ultimately, he ended up choosing the latter.
zanka looked back at you, as you desperately blinked your tears away. he could see you dig your nails deep in your palm.
he took a step forward, careful and calculating, trying to make sense of whether you’d push him away or accept him.
zanka pulled you in his arms, caressing the back of your head in an attempt to hush your sobs. he mutters apologies as you cry on his shoulders. you apologize back to him, aware of your own shortcomings, but he only shakes his head and tells you you’re okay, he’s sorry.
for you, he would lower his pride. for you, he would listen to your side. for you, he wouldn’t run away from his problems; rather, he’d face and confront them head-on.
the first time zanka held your hand in public he felt all the eyes on the ground on him.
all eyes on his sweaty palms, all eyes on his ever-shifting feet, all eyes on the reddening tips of his ears, and all eyes on the bizarre look in his eyes.
it wasn’t anything like holding your hand in private, when he’d fumble trying but at least find solace that such a moment was kept between you two.
no. it was too much.
so he let go.
“later” he told you, attempting to spare you of your confusion.
he’s never dated anyone before, let alone this seriously. he knew he loved you, but doing all the couple stuff he’s previously turned away from on the street was…well it was weird. not something he had the time or experience to prepare for.
baby steps, he promised in his mind. one day he won’t freak out about getting too touchy in public, and one day he’ll cuddle you without feeling the need to shift around every few seconds.
one day he’ll get there, but for now…
“zankaaa” you nudged his side, snapping him back into the present.
“huh?”
he blinked straight forward, trying to drown out the voice of alice as the both of you currently resided right outside her door. a hefty mission called for equally hefty care—which led all of akuta here, as it had a hundred times before.
“you sure you aren’t hurt?” you did a quick scan of his body, “if you’re lying to impress me i swear—“
“i’m not!” he lightheartedly shooed your hands away.
“why do you keep zoning out?”
“…just thinkin’.”
about you, is what he could’ve added at the end, but how could he explain he was beating himself up over something like physical touch?
“thinking?” you repeat.
“yeah.”
the dead-set stare you had on his face didn’t go unnoticed.
“did something get on me?” he inquired, hands already reaching up to touch his face.
“hm? no, it’s just—nevermind”
“what? tell me.”
he slid a little closer to you on the wall, the arms of his uniform tickling yours.
“i just really wanna kiss you.”
“…like, right here?”
you nodded, eager.
“…like, now?”
you nodded again.
oh, you were killing him here! on one hand he couldn’t deny that he relished kissing you, even if the two of you only had done it a couple of times.
on the other hand…
“they’re still here!” his eyes went back and forth between you and the door.
“all the way in the other room!”
“which is like two-inches away!”
you smiled with a sigh, putting an end to your whisper-shout exchange.
“it’s fine, zanka. you don’t have to—“
“wait.”
your head perked up.
“just—c’mere, real quick.”
you quickly stepped in front of him, his hand already hovering over your shoulder. he peeked once or twice more at the door, face already taking on a shade of pink, before fully focusing on you.
he leaned—well, more like dived into your lips, planting a very quick kiss on them. he pulled back just as fast, eyes already back on the door.
realizing nobody saw, he could sit with the butterflies he got from kissing you.
Helping out 𝙍𝙪𝙙𝙤 after a specifically rough mission. ☆
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Summary: Enjin brings in Rudo after he got beat up pretty bad by a trash-beast. ☆.｡.:* .｡.:*☆
Word count!!: 1253 words.
(sorry in advanced if there are any grammer mistakes, I'm so extremely tired)
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It was just a normal day in the Cleaners headquarters, or as normal as it could possibly get.
There you were, spinning in one of the chairs that was in the nursery. Eishia was out for the day, which left you in charge of helping out the Cleaners who would go on missions, or who just simply needed bandages. The nursery was quiet for once, save for the soft creak of the chair beneath you and the faint rustle of bandages on the nearby table. You let out a sigh, glancing toward the door every so often, waiting for the next injured Cleaner to stumble in.
Then the doors opened.
Enjin stepped in first, looking far too calm for someone who’d just returned from a mission. And behind him limping, bruised, and clearly in much worse shape was, Rudo.
"Do you think you'll be able to help this kid out?" Enjin looked over his shoulder at Rudo while stepping closer to you.
"What'd he do this time?" You mumbled under your breath, rolling your eyes slightly. This wasn't your first time helping out Rudo, there had been multiple occasion where Rudo had bitten off more than he could chew on one of his missions and ended up on the recovery bed, patched up and grumpy. But, usually you'd have Eishia to help you out.
"Well, the kid decided to be a little more reckless then he usually is, and got his ass handed to him-"
"Did not!" Rudo huffed out, jutting out his bottom lip slightly.
"Suuuuure you didn't."
"Hop up." You gently patted the bed, motioning for Rudo to lay down. He let out a soft scoff before complying with a few muttered words you couldn't quite catch.
Once he was settled, you moved closer, reaching for the supplies laid out nearby. Rudo kept his eyes on you for a second longer than usual, almost like he was waiting for you to say something about the state he was in.
You didn’t.
Instead, you simply reached out and began checking the worst of his injuries with careful hands.
“This is gonna sting a little,” you murmured.
Rudo grumbled, but he didn’t pull away.
“You say that like it’s supposed to make it better,” he muttered.
“It is making it better. You’re just dramatic.”
That earned you the smallest huff of laughter from him, and despite the bruises and bandages, his expression softened just a little. you just sighed softly and reached for the bandages. “You’re lucky it’s nothing too serious.”
Rudo blinked at you, clearly caught off guard by the lack of scolding. “...You’re not gonna yell at me?”
“Should I?” you asked, raising a brow as you carefully started wrapping his arm.
He looked away immediately. “No.”
A small smile tugged at your lips. “Good answer.”
The room fell quiet for a moment, the only sound the soft rustle of cloth as you worked. Rudo stayed still, watching you from the corner of his eye as if he didn’t quite know what to do with the gentleness.
“You know” you said after a moment, “if you keep coming back here like this, I’m going to start thinking you do it on purpose.”
“I don’t!!!” he said quickly, sounding genuinely offended.
That earned a quiet laugh from you. “I’m kidding, kid.”
Rudo went a little red, his shoulders loosening just slightly. He looked down at the bed, then back at you. “...You always do this?”
“...Do what?”
“Act like it’s no big deal.”
Your hands paused for just a second before you finished tying the bandage. “Because helping you isn’t a big deal.”
Rudo didn’t say anything after that. He just stared at you for a long moment, like he was trying to figure out what to do with a kindness he hadn’t expected.
And for the first time, he didn’t look annoyed to be there. He looked… safe, happy.
From the doorway, Enjin let out a quiet snort. “Well, looks like he’s in good hands.”
"you have to start taking better care of yourself.." you said in a scolding tone.
Rudo glanced away, but you caught the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
“Look at that. He’s already listening to you better than he listens to me.”
“That’s because you’re loud,” Rudo muttered.
Enjin looked offended. “I am not loud. I’m expressive.”
You let out a soft laugh and reached for the ointment, smoothing it carefully over the cut on Rudo’s cheek. He stiffened again, but this time he didn’t pull away. If anything, he went a little stiller, as though he was trying to convince himself not to react at all.
“You really should be more careful,” you said quietly, your tone gentler now.
Rudo’s eyes flicked to yours for a moment before darting away again. “I was careful.”
“Rudo.”
He sighed, defeated. “...Okay, maybe not that careful.”
“That’s better.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, almost like he was fighting the urge to smile. It was such a small thing, but it made something warm settle in your chest anyway.
Just then, there was a light knock at the nursery door.
“Come in,” you called, not looking away from Rudo as you finished the last bit of treatment.
The door slid open, and one of the other Cleaners poked their head in, glancing between the three of you with a knowing look. “Enjin, They need you in the main hall.”
Enjin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Of course they do.”
He glanced at Rudo, then at you, a grin tugging at his mouth. “You good here?”
“We’re fine,” you said.
Rudo, still sitting on the bed, glanced up at you as Enjin headed for the door. “...You’re not leaving too, are you?”
The question came out quieter than you expected, almost like it had slipped out before he could stop it.
You blinked, then smiled a little. “Nope. I’m staying until I’m done”
Rudo gave a tiny nod, shoulders easing again.
Enjin paused in the doorway long enough to give you both one last amused look. “Try not to cause any more trouble while I’m gone.”
“We weren’t causing trouble,” Rudo said immediately.
Enjin just laughed and disappeared into the hall.
For a moment, it was just you and Rudo again. The room felt quieter without Enjin’s voice filling it, the soft hum of the headquarters settling back around you. You reached for a fresh strip of gauze, then glanced at Rudo as he sat there, oddly still.
“What?” you asked, catching him staring.
He stiffened. “Nothing.”
“Rudo.”
“I said nothing.”
You narrowed your eyes at him, but the faint color rising in his face told you enough. He looked away quickly, scratching the side of his neck with his uninjured hand.
“You’re weirdly quiet today" you said.
“I’m always quiet.”
“No, today’s different.”
He frowned, clearly searching for a reply that wouldn’t give him away. “...You’re distracting.”
That made you pause.
“Me?” you repeated, a little amused.
Rudo immediately looked like he regretted saying anything. “Forget it.”
But the way his ears had gone pink said enough.
You smiled to yourself and went back to wrapping the final bandage, hiding the soft laugh that threatened to slip out.
“Okay,” you said lightly, “if I’m distracting, then you’re going to have to sit there and deal with it.”
Rudo grumbled under his breath, but he didn’t argue again.
And for the first time since he’d come in, he actually looked a little more relaxed...
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RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM DONE!!!
this is my first "real" fic 😭 I want to write one about Zanka,should I?
I fucking hate wanting to SH, but not being able too.
because of my fuckass parents, they say if I do it one more time then they're gonna send me awau.
but I feel like I need to do it. I dosent matter how, eraser, razor, lighter, I just need it. I want the scars to be everywhere honestly.
stormborns
dailybridgerton
izzy806
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janainaart
theartofmadeline
