// fluff. mind you, i love LOOVVEEE this hc. subtle jabber slander?? healer & gn reader. not proof-read cuz its 1 am and i cant let my eyes open any longer. might be ooc too!! 0.7k words.
everyone knows zanka nijiku as the calm cleaner.
the tuff, nonchalant one in the akuta team.
and somehow, those acts melt away immediately when you come to his life.
yeah, he didnât expect that either.
but he couldnât deny the way his heart stuttered when you touched him gently like a wounded puppy.
âwhat happened this time?â you asked, guiding him to sit on the bed.
he grunted as he sat on the mattress, the latex swallowed him a little, his back pressed against the pillow with closed eyes. âthat guy jabber.â
you made a knowing sound. âthat noisy guy with a big ass claw?â you asked once more, earning a tiny humored snort and a slow nod from the other boy.
you started the usual healing ritualâsensing the wound first, giving them a light pressure with your palms to heal them slowly but surely.
âheâs strong, all right. but he's annoying.â
âwho? jabber?â
âmhm.â
âmn, yeah. seems like it.â
itâs almost like an everyday routine.
you worked at the cleaners headquarterâs hospital, always minding your own business (and only locked in when thereâs an emergency situation).
meanwhile, zanka liked to sneak into your workspaceâmostly when itâs emptyâjust to check on you, or ask you to grab lunch together.
or simply to chat about what you like, or about stupid things that happened to him.
or after long missions; zanka always came in first, whining while clinging on your side, with simple bruises or small cutsânothing too life threatening
you knew he was a strong and genius guy.
and you werenât shy to tell him that.
âiâm glad it isnât anything dangerous.â you murmured as you stepped back, watching the handiwork you just finished. âalright, youâre doing great. bet enjinâs proud of your work.â
that earned a cute, tiny blush on his cheek.
âitâs⊠nothing.â he'd try to dismiss, maintaining his composed face as you bit back a giggle at his tone.
yeah, that tone. the one that clearly shows how flustered heâs getting.
he shifted just a little, his body facing yours. âyouâre doing a good job tooââ
âhah! donât even start,â you scoffed, âi just chant a stupid healing spell while you fight with your staff for your life out there. we are not the same.â
the actual thing isâ
you donât want him to ignore and dodge your compliment.
you wanted him to know that he wasnât worthless like what he thought.
that succeeded, thankfully. just the slightest.
look how red his cheeks are!
you slipped out a giggle, daring yourself to pinch him on the waist. âwhâ hey!â he yelped, âwhat was that for?â
âfor being strong. and adorable.â
âŠ
silence.
the kind of silence that screamed iâm offended.
âiâm leaving.â zanka grabbed his lovely assistant, stomping on the floor with an obvious red face now.
you rapidly pull the back of his collar, definitely not choking him. âthe payment?â
he turned, slowly. deadpan. â⊠haha. tell me youâre joking right now.â
âmy service ainât for free, baby. even if itâs my own boyfriend.â
âŠ
a long, dramatic sigh.
he reached for his wallet.
you clicked your tongue in disapproval. âwho said i wanted money?â you watched his confused face twisted into something hopeful.
you simply pointed at your cheek, blinking cutely; the kind that made him visibly gagged up.
but managed to melt his heart into puddle.
he looked around for a second, and after making sure no oneâs around (or going to enter the hospital suddenly), he leaned closer.
and kiss!
you beamed.
âpayment successful!â you cheerfully declared, your legs swinging in delight. âdonât forget to come back again!â
zanka doesn't even look back as he approached the exit.
but god, he was smiling like an idiot.
bonus:
âwhy is zankaâs smile seem soâŠâ rudo commented as he peeked out from the door. riyo followed.
âugh. heâs being a lovesick guy again. i should tell enjin about this.â
âlovesickâŠ? ohâ he has aâ?!â
she shrugged with a grin. âi know. shocking, right?â
âidiots. i can hear you two.â
(a/n: hi.. its been a while.. i know my writing sucks now but enjoy c':)
// crack fluff, hidden inventory arc, inspired by this vt, (heavily) implied fem reader but they/them pronouns used, implied satosugu??, satoru being a little shit (affectionate). 1.1k words.
âstop. touching. my. stuff!â you repeated and hissed in annoyance when satoru tried to take the bunny plushie you just bought, trying to ruin it with an aggressive ruffle. again!
with an intense glare, you took the plushie away from his grasp and hit his wristâwhich he couldn't control very wellâearning a fake, pitiful whine from him, and a soft giggle from shoko.
suguru, on the other hand, scoffed. âsatoru, câmon. you know how scary they could be when you kept pushing their buttons.â he crossed his arms as he watched another repetitive argument between you and satoru.
satoru frowned, sticking out his tongue mockingly before letting go of your plushie as he holds the wrist that you hit too hard. he moved a bit closer to sit next to suguru.
and to avoid you if you decided to give him a sudden, unreasonable tantrum.
âwhy are you so mean to everyone?â he asked with a whiny voice, almost rolling his eyes.
seeing how satoru treated you, you stick out your tongue at him in return, wanting to reply: âbecause youâre an asshole.â but before you could utter any words, shoko suddenly took your plushie away from your grip.
oh the way your furrowed eyebrows softened.
satoru clicked his tongue at the sudden change of your sour expression, while suguru is smiling again with his eyes closed, tapping satoruâs shoulder playfully.
youâre no more than a pathetic lovesick when it comes to shoko ieiri, it seems.
âbut theyâve never been mean to me,â she hummed with a cigarette dangling on her pinkish lips. you notice it was the lip gloss you gave to her a few weeks agoâright on her birthday.
she leaned right next to your shoulder, comfortably letting her head pressed against your shoulder blade. she stared right into satoruâs blue irises, shrugging. âi donât get it.â
the thought made a small smile subconsciously curled on your lips, your eyes shifted elsewhere. your head leaned against shokoâs, not minding the sudden physical closenessâdespite the throbbing, almost painful feelings inside of your chest.
satoru sneered, an obvious annoyance was represented in his expression. âblah blah blah,â he snided, crossing his arms, âthatâs because they like yââ
âŠ
oh! wellâŠ
suguru had his hands wrapped tightly against satoruâs mouth, his smile wide and awkward. your head slowly twisted towards him, flabbergasted at what he just said so directly.
while shoko is just⊠confused. âwhatâŠ?â her brown eyes flickering toward you and satoru.
your teeth gritted, staring at satoru with wide, shocked eyes. âyouââ your voice cracked, turning your head to see shokoâs reaction swiftly, before moving a bit closer to satoru to grab his collar, âwhy would you say it in front ofâ!â
satoru gasps as he forces suguruâs hand away from his mouth, both shocked and panickedâjust the same like you. itâs almost funny.
âiâ i donât know! it just came out!!â he exclaimed, now trying to escape your aggressive grasp.
shoko, on the other hand, blinking at the sight she just witnessed. her typical grin was now back on her lips as a small laugh escaped her throat. âwait, so you do like me?â
âNO!â both of you screamed, absolutely not calming down at the question. âno, of course not! iâm just kidding, right? thatâs not trueââ
âWHAT? that IS true!â you countered, your voice was full of confidence, but you realized.
you are EVEN worse than satoru.
you groaned in frustration loudly, practically choking satoru in the process. he yelped, with suguru trying to force your grasp away from satoruâs poor neck.
that surely will leave an unpleasant mark, if estimated by your strength.
shoko couldnât help but giggle at the newly discovered sight of you. you were usually so stoic around her, so itâs a new thing for her to see you so embarrassed. and oh, is that a pink tint around your cheeks?
itâs adorable. she wanted to squeeze them.
you were obviously too carried away by the unplanned confession, wishing the gods to kill you already. you shook satoru by his neck, begging suguru to finish you off with his cursed technique.
yet instead, you were greeted by a hand hitting you hard on your back.
it wasnât satoruâs nor suguruâs.
then it must beâŠ
âokay, you can stop now.â âŠof course, it was shoko.
she had her own way of calming your nerves, somehow.
or was it because of her touches?
your grasp loosened from satoruâs neck, leaving him breathless and slumped into suguruâs open arms.
an ashamed sigh left your lips as your head then turned toward her, a small frown formed on your lips. you had your hands, knuckled tightly, on your lap, and you were silent for a few minutes. your gaze fixed on the groundâas if waiting for shoko to say something.
but she said nothing. well, here it goes.
âiâŠâ you started, taking a deep breath. âiâm⊠sorry. did the confession make you uncomfortable?â
you were expecting an enthusiastic or even mad âyesâ, but no. she tried to make an eye contact with you.
ânah,â she shrugged, moving her body closer toward yours, âiâm just confused. i thought you liked satoru.â
â⊠ew.â the word was said with disgust by you and satoru at the same time, making shokoâs eyes wide by the coincidence, totally forgetting you two shared the same brain cell.
she sighed, her grin faded into a soft smile. her hand moved to cover your knuckles, rubbing it gently. âiâm glad, though.â
âââcause i like you too.â
mhm. the way they rolled off her tongue.
itâs so sickly sweet. like a honey. no, maybe even sweeter than honey.
and for the first time in your life, you felt something weird. something like those stereotyped highschool girls when their confession got accepted by their crush.
your face hot, your throat tight, your heart pounded, your chest ached, your stomach felt ticklish. yet it didnât feel so bad.
shoko laughed again, and gods. did it make you want to do things.
a pointed finger was now on your chin, forcing you to raise your face so she could see your flushed cheeks. âso, does this mean weâre official?â she inquired, tilting her head.
your wanted to reply, you wanted to answer her, but fuck it you canât.
so you just nodded, with a big, stupid smile on your face. shoko did the same, too.
satoru grinned, glancing at suguru, back to the new couple in front of them. he clapped his hand loudly, catching both of your attention. deep down, he felt like a proud big brother.
âwell, congrats! so that means i can tell shoko about our midnight calls where you thought she didnât like you andââ
âGOJO FUCKING SATORU.â
(a/n: im goin to ghost yall again for months goodbyw)
// fluff, guitarist reader, modern au. 0.8k words.
kaeya hums softly as he and his guitarist lover sit together on their shared bedâwith you on his lap and your guitar on your lap, smiling at your concentrated expression.
squinted eyes, sticked out tongue that rested on your top left lip, and the gentle, adorable hum when you play the right notes. archons, he couldnât help to smile even wider.
and heâd whisper you a small praise, kissing the nape of your neck gently whenever you get the right notes, his grasp tightening around your waist as well. he was being sooo sweetâit didnât only make your heart melt, he made your whole body melt.
âwhat song is this, by the way?â he asks, his warm breath and the soft pair of his lips tickling your nape, making you giggle quietly at the sensation. âpasilyo, by sunkissed lola. have you ever heard of it?â
ânot really.â your lover shook his head, his lips still pressed against your nape, though he eventually moved his head to see the sheet music you have on the side of your lap. youâd make sure the head of your guitar didnât hit his face too, which he appreciates a lot since he accidentally did this a lot.
âit has such a beautiful melody⊠whatâs the song about?â
âmarriage, i guess?â
âmarriage, huh. i guess thatâs why it sounds pretty lulling.â he mumbles, kissing your shoulder. âi wonder if this song could be played one day at our weddingâŠâ he smiles at the thought, but quickly regained his composure.
âis it difficult?â he continues to ask, shifting his body and pulling you closer by the waist to get an even more comfortable position. his light blue eyes lingering on the music sheet as he rests his chin on your shoulder.
ânot reallyâŠâ you began, pressing your guitar closer to your chest, testing the notes again. âi mean, itâs kinda hard, but i think iâm doing fine.â you explain proudly, turning your head back to facing himâonly to give a small, quick peck on his cheeks, grinning softly.
the navy-blue haired man was surprised by your sudden antics. his eyes widened slightly, but he chuckled and brushed it off eventually. âreally? thatâs great then.â
despite not having a wide knowledge about music, he always felt so proud whenever you could play a song without much trouble. his mind constantly telling him that youâre the most talented and professional guitarist ever.
âcan i hear the full version once youâre done?â
âsure, darlinâ,â you muse, sticking out your tongue again as you continue to strum your guitar while looking at the sheet music, trying to get a suitable ânice soundingâ note.
kaeya continues to rest his chin on your shoulder, pressing your body closer to him, watching intently at how your fingers move and play the guitar string. it might seem simple to you, but archons, he was so in love with your fingers. the way they moved is just mesmerizing, he swore he could just watch your fingers playing the guitar for hours.
after you finished, you let out a satisfied hum and another proud grin. his awestruck gaze now landed on youâclearly admiring your developed guitar skill.
âi think thatâs all for tonight, iâll ask xinyan about the chorus part next morning andââ
sensing a sudden quiet kaeya, you turn your head quickly to meet his pretty face, only to find his foolish awestruck gaze solely focused on you. as your eyes met his gaze, his eyes softened even more, as if heâs staring at the most precious thing that exists only once in the world.
you canât help yourself to laugh at seeing this side of him, which looked so dumb and cute. â... whatâs with that gaze?â
he laughs along with you, his hand making its way to hold your hand and squeezing it gently, before stealing a kiss on your lips. âyouâre so gorgeous when you play the guitar, andâ archons, your playstyle is really coolâŠ!â
you felt your cheeks become hot and red at the kiss and the praise, punching kaeyaâs lap playfully with your fist right after he praised you. âthank you,â you reply, smiling sheepishly. your fingertips brushing against his harsh palms.
but suddenly, you felt your guitar taken by him and placed right next to the bed, his muscular arms then started to lift you up, pinning you against the soft mattress. his quick yet unpredictable action surely caught you off-guard.
âbut enough about your guitar practice, donât forget about our deal earlier.â he smirks dumbly, nuzzling his head on your neck as he pressed his body against you hardly, making it almost hard to breathe properly.
such a sneaky bastard, isnât he? but it would be a big ass lie if you say you didnât like it.
with a defeated sigh, you wrap your arms around kaeyaâs body, letting him clinging to you for the rest of the night.
"wake up." are the words that slipped from navia's mouth when your consciousness slowly gathered.
"please be okay, please be okay, please⊠i don't want to lose you. not after losing themâŠ"
was she⊠sobbing?
you found yourself and navia on the ground. the only thing you remember is that you are here, at poisson, to help navia rescuing her people, but now⊠you were trapped in her tight embrace. she was clinging to you desperately, calling your name several times with a shaky tone.
your eyes flutter open slowly. your condition wasn't so goodâtemperature almost hot, dizzy head and blurred visionâit feels like you're almost dying. but everything becomes clear as you hear another soft sob right beside your ears.
you feel the embrace tighten, making it really hard to breathe. weakly, you call, "navia?"
hearing your weak voice, navia flinched as her breath stuck in her throat, slowly revealing her teary, wide shocked eyes. you two look into each other's eyes for a minute, with no single words uttered, as if you two are communicating through gaze or telepathy.
"shh," you plant a tender peck on her rosy lips in order to silence her worries, your lips curl into a smile.
a smile that always makes her think everything is okay.
and, somehow, it always worked. even for a few moments.
"now, now, i'm okay." you hum, patting her back gently to comfort her. to make her believe that you're really okay, despite almost being drowned by the primordial sea.
she leans into your loving touch, wrapping her strong arms around your waist, hiding her face on your neck as she continues to sob silently. it wets your neck, to your collarbone, and slowly reaches to your front yoke, but do you even care about that?
you continue to caress her back, pressing your nose to nuzzle her beautiful, wavy blonde hair, until you sense that navia wants to talk. "silver and melus, theyâŠ" she begins, sobbing even harder and louder.
her grasp around your waist tightens, letting go her face from your neck yet still keeping you close in her strong arms. it seems like she wasn't going to let you go very soon.
you knew what navia meant. you saw it with your very own eyes before passing out, and it felt like a terrifying nightmare. "i know, nav, at least they died for being a hero." you whisper back, a sad sigh escapes your lips.
"but i'm so, so glad that you're okay." she adds, the loud sobs and sniffles could still be heard from her, but it seems like she was able to calm down a little. "at least i still have you⊠iâ i don't know what i'm supposed to do without you."
"awwâŠ" you couldn't help but smile wider, your hands making their way to cup navia's cheeks while wiping her warm tears away.
she's so pretty, so divine even when she cries.
"i won't leave you," you coo tenderly, kissing her rosy nose (due to crying) multiple times, "i never will."
oh how navia wanted to believe that, but after losing her two attendants?
it's not like she doesn't want to trust you, it's just that she's hesitant. she knew you wouldn't make empty promises, but it feels so⊠wrong.
reluctantly, she nods, nuzzling into your cheeks. "but⊠what if you do?" she asks, her words being muffled against your cheeks.
you think for a moment, your eyes never leaving her gorgeous blue eyes. then, a soft giggle escapes your lips. "then you can have my limited pastries i bought last week."
the blonde's eyes widened at your lighthearted joke, but eventually she laughed along with you. "just kidding, just kidding⊠i promise i won't."
"⊠promise me?" at the word 'promise', she shows her pinky finger, expecting you to take it and uttering the same word, to make a pinky promise.
yet instead, you close your eyes and give her a long, loving kiss on her rosy lips, taking her hand in yours. she was surprised at first, but her heart melts quickly and returns the loving kiss while cradling your head.
her lipstick was smudged on your lips, creating a light kiss mark, but you were too dizzy by the kiss to even care about the little mess you two have made.
"je t'aime." she whispers softly, wiping the kiss mark away with her thumb, making you laugh again as you keep your arms around her back. "i love you more."
that is, until the traveler and paimon came, having no idea whatever happened before they came.