Matchsticks and Sweets ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁
Summary : "I thought we agreed that habit belonged in the past.." you and Eishia are complete opposites in every way, yet somehow..the two of you fit together like two halves of a whole. Exactly one month ago, you promised her you's quit smoking for good. But after one awful day you had, a moment of weakness leaves you tucked somewhere quiet in the headquarters with a lit cigarette...right as Eishia saw you..she didn't say anything, just turned around and walked away..uh oh..she's mad.
Pairing : Eishia Stilza x Smoker!gn reader
Trope and Rating : mild angst(?) , use of tobacco and relapsing | soft fluff , sfw
A/N : HIIII!! sosososo sorry for not updating with the zanka fic, im still in the process of writing and drafting ideas!! But for now pls enjoy eishia...( FEEDBACK FROM YOU GUYS IS APPRECIATED! )
The air in Eishia's office always possessed a pristine, quiet sanctuary. It smelled faintly of clean laundry, fresh cotton and a burnt insulation smell from the double-ended power cord she uses to treat injuries. Yours on the other hand, are completely different, sometimes messy..sometimes neat and clean, but one thing for sure makes a difference is that you have an addiction with cigarettes. Despite your heavy addiction and difference with her, you two still make the perfect pair.
Let's rewind to one month ago..
You were just hanging out with Eishia in her office while gazing out the window, looking out to the sky, it's never perfectly blue, it is filled with a swirling, silver-gray haze from the trash storms and pollution of the Sphere above.
"...I think im gonna quit smoking today.." you casually announced, eyes looking down at the good box of cigarettes you got from the supply run, your heart is pounding and filled with nervous, not sure if you can get out of the addicting nicotine that offers you the perfect sting of relieve.
Eishia instantly freezes, her head snapping towards you, eyes widening in absolute shock
"H-huh..you're going to.."
"Im quitting.. I want to take care of myself better and I don't wanna worry you anymore.." You turned your head to her, offering a warm smile, before crumbling that cigarette box away to the trash can
Well fast foward 1 month later , you were doing so well, your health was getting better, you started to improve faster during missions and training, everyone slowly started to noticed. Eishia along the way helped you with healthy alternatives like herbal tea, snacks to help mimic the hand-to-mouth habit.
That didn't last long after a punishing sweep, you were physically and mentally broken to the point you skipped dinner, just to sneak off and steal some of Enjin's cigarettes. You can't help it, you lit up one of them and started to inhale that familiar, burning mist in a hallway corner.
You hadn't even heard her coming.
Eishia had simply walked past on her way back from the dining hall. She stopped dead in her tracks, seeing you relapsing again. She didn't yell, she just stood there with her wide pink eyes locking on the glowing tip between your fingers. She let out a tiny, heartbroken sigh, looked down at her shoes and quietly hurried away before you could say a word
You're now alone, the guilt felt like a lead weight sitting on your chest, the quiet disappointment was ten times worse than an screaming match could have been.
Later you sat at the bar, quietly sipping some soda while chattering from other cleaners were in the background. Riyo and Zanka were discussing whether Corvus's eye tattoo could move like they say. Semiu and Tomme are drinking and organising the recent mission files together, etc..etc. As you were drinking and zoning out alone, Enjin plops and sits next to you, he ordered a whiskey like casual, lit up a cigarette, he gives you a smug look before offering a stick to you.
You hesitate a bit, before shaking your head and looked down. Enjin raised a eyebrow but tucked it away.
"What's wrong bud?" He asked , his eyes scanning your face with genuine concern. "That wasn't just about the cigarette, was it?"
You stayed silent for bit. "Eishia caught me smoking again, i've been only clean for 1 month and..i-i couldn't help myself but do it again."
"She didn't even say anything when she saw me...she didn't scream either."
The two of you sat for a while in the bar, Enjin listens to you as you talked out your feelings, occasionally nodding and grunting as he listens you. After an hour or more, you parted your ways for the night, you walked back to your dorm, thinking about the advice Enjin gave earlier before parting.
"you know.. Stop overthinking, grab some sweets for her and apologize for messing things up" - Enjin.
By the next day, you had to make things right, your first stop is a small bakery shop tucked away in a town, where you picked up some fruit tarts and some chewy milk candies.
Later in the evening, you reached to Eishia's office, for a long moment, you stood silent and your heart was beating heavily again. The door opened just an inch or two, Eishia stood in the gap, her short blond hair sightly messy, hands clutching the writing board.
"U-um.." she stammered, her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked down at her feet. "I-it's you..."
"Eishia.." you started softly "Can I come in for a second? please?"
She hesitate a bit, her pink eyes lingered up to you with a mix of worry and hurt before nodding and stepped back, opening the door wider.
Suddenly... "I-im sorry about yesterday." her voice trembled with her usual self-hating instinct, "I..I shouldn't have walked away like that, you were probably stressed out a lot and- and I made it weird.. I always ruin things when I try to-"
"Eishia, stop.." you interrupted gently, cutting of her spiral. "You have nothing to apologize, I broke my promise and let a bad day get the better of me, and seeing how disappointed I made you..it killed me."
You hold out the small, ribbon tied box towards her.
"I got you a peace offering.. I remember how much you love sweet things, I know that fruit tarts and candies won't make up for breaking a promise..but I wanted to bring you something to make you smile.."
Eishia's eyes went wide. She looked at the beautifully wrapped box, then at you, a faint shade of pink blushes over her cheeks "A-ah..sweets? Y-you don't really have to do this.."
She paused for a bit before taking a step closer, she reached out with trembling, gloved hands to take the box of sweets, cradling it like a prized treasure.
"Thank you.." she said, her voice soft and free of doubt "It's hard to quit things I know..but I want to help you..If you get stressed again, you dont have to hide it. You can just come here..."
She gestured timidly toward her small tea set, resting on the counter
"Would you..like to stay and share these with me?..I can make us something sweet to drink with..". She asked, her pink eyes shining with hope.
You smiled, the last remnants of guilt melted away completely in the crisp, clean air of the room, you take a deep breath.
"I'd love that..Eishia..".
(hiiiii guysss, anyone here caught the Beabadoobee reference (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧?? i had to look her name up because i keep misspelling it..btw update on the Zanka fic, after part 3 comes out i might not continue it since i do have other ideas for Zanka and other characters here!!)
(btw so soz for not posting much lately, life has been very busy for me!)
