Song I listened to while writing: Whistle by Dreamcatcher.
Kokushibo
We all know that Kokushibo is the silent type. And the discreet type. You probably had several mini-heart attack from him popping out of nowhere.
But he has his own way of showing he cares. And he is actually gentle about it.
He speaks only when he feels necessary. Every single word of affirmation he gives you is one he means from the bottom of his heart.
He offers you praises each time you succeed in a task.
At some point, Kokushibo will also grow more used to your presence, and the most subtle physical contact will start.
And by that, I mean that Kokushibo is the king of headpats. There are moments where he just passes next to you, and you will feel his hand caress the top of your head. And before you know it, he is already gone.
Douma
I know we all see Douma into physical contact. And yes, he is. He is touchy and loves to have his hands on you.
If Kokushibo gives headpats, Douma gives hugs.
If he ever sees you doing something, anything, he will come and give you back hugs. Good luck making him let go after.
I can also imagine him being into non-sexual intimacy, actually. He just loves doing things with you.
You're going to take a shower or a bath? He is running to join you. Going to bed already? He offers cuddles until you fall asleep.
He compliments you physically. And he loves to give you pet names, so much you sometimes wonder if he remembers your actual name.
Akaza
Akaza is always there to help you, especially with physical labour. Carrying something heavy? Leave it to him. Moving something around in the house? Let him help you.
He will never let anything bad happen to you either. He is the most protective out of all the upper moons.
If you ever tell him about something bad that happened during daytime or when he was absent, he will listen with his full attention. And according to the kind of event, he might or might not be out to deal with it.
He is also good with words of affirmation. And as opposed to Douma, he is more the type to compliments your personality or abilities.
He is less into physical contact, because he knows how strong he is, and a part of him is genuinely scared of hurting you, even by accident.
But if you are into physical contact, he will try to do gentle touches, like holding your hand or placing a hand in the small of your back.
So... I was having my own existential crisis late at night and this idea came in. At first, it was supposed to be a short drabble, but it quickly went out of hands. And I almost did a really angst ending but I managed to stop myself, we’ll stay at hurt/comfort.
Hope you’ll enjoy! Don’t forget to drink water, I wish you the best!
Content Warning: Existential crisis, survivor guilt, hurt comfort, gender neutral reader, one line of depiction of violence, reader refused to eat.
Song I listened to while writing: What Was I Made For? by Bilie Eilish.
Words count: 1745 words.
This mission had turned for the worst. The demon you faced was stronger than you expected. After a long night of fighting, you turned out to be the only survivor. And how bad you felt for this… Kocho Shinobu, the Insect Hashira who took you under her care after you had been found, called it ‘survivor guilt’.
How could you not feel guilty? Why were you the only one making their way out of this alive? The other demon slayers trusted you. One of them even protected you. Why did they protect you instead of saving their own life? They were stronger than you. They should have lived.
You should have been stronger yourself. You should have trained harder before going. You should have listened to orders better. You should have been the one protecting the others when they were down.
Why were you so scared? Why did you end up paralyzed? When the demon crushed one slayer under a giant hand… When the demon bit off another slayer’s arm… When you almost lost your head yourself…
You remembered your heart beating so loudly in your ears. You remembered how sweaty your hands turned against the hilt of your sword. You remembered the silent tears in the corner of your eyes at what you witnessed. You remembered their cries of pain. You remembered how your blade broke in two when you tried to cut the demon’s neck. Why did you fail?
They did not deserve to die like this. You should have been the one dyi-
“[Y/N]?”
⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇
“Rengoku?”
Kyojuro stopped in the middle of the corridor when Shinobu called his name, catching his attention. He turned around to see the Insect Pillar walking toward him. Her constant, calm smile was present on her face. But it was not reaching her eyes - even less than usual, at least. Anyone who knew her well enough could read the expression she was trying so hard to hide: she was worried.
“How can I help you, Kocho?” The Flame Pillar asked with his loud voice. Usually, calmness was requested, between the walls of the Butterfly Estate that were filled with wounded people who needed rest. But Kyojuro had a special permission, considering his half-deaf condition.
Shinobu knew it, her fellow Pillar was as worried as she was. If not, why would he be hanging around the Butterfly Estate so much, ever since you had been brought here? You have been training under Kyojuro for months, maybe even years. You joined him for several missions to learn from him. And even now that you were not under his care anymore, he was always checking on you. He held you dear, it was obvious for whoever saw the way he was looking at you…
“[L/N] skipped lunch today again,” Shinobu admitted, “They’ve refused to eat ever since they woke up.”
In her opinion, if there was one person who could make you take care of your health, it was Kyojuro. If you refused to listen to others, you would listen to the solar Flame Pillar.
Kyojuro’s expression shifted. The corner of his lips twitched. Something in his eyes seemed to tremble. He could feel a pinch on his heart. It pained him. The Flame Pillar tightened his grip around the hilt of his weapon, where his hand was resting.
“I will talk to them.”
Without waiting for Shinobu’s answer - not giving her a chance to give any - he hurried toward the room where he knew he would find [Y/N]. The Insect Pillar could only look at him. Now that she was alone, her fake smile fell to show her clear worry. A heavy sigh slipped through her lips.
“They will listen to you… They have to…”
⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇
In a gasp at the loud voice, you looked away from the window - through which you were admiring the night sky from your bed… Even if ‘admiring’ was a big word, since you had been staring into the void, attacked by your own intrusive thoughts.
“Rengoku?”
Kyojuro was standing at the entrance of the room. His expression was unreadable. It was nothing like his usual reassuring smile and flamboyant aura. A sigh escaped him when he took in your sight before slowly making his way toward you.
“I told you, you don’t need to be formal with me because I’m a Pillar. Kyojuro is fine.”
Once he was at your bedside, the Flame Pillar sat down onto the mattress, just next to you. Out of habit, he reached out to place his hand on top of yours, something he always did when he felt like you needed to talk. But as soon as his skin touched yours, you pulled away, bringing your hand to your lap, away from his touch. Kyojuro stared at you, his eyes pained by your reaction. But he was quick to blink to hurt away.
“Kocho told me you ate nothing, today,” he started.
“I was not hungry…”
You simply looked away to stare through the window once again. Your eyes seemed… empty. It was the first time Kyojuro ever saw you in such a state. He was used to you hiding your pain behind a caring personality. He had learned to see through this facade and comfort you when he felt you needed it. But never once did you reject his help. And never once did he see you this affected.
“[Y/N], you need to eat to stay healthy,” he continued, “and you will heal faster if you-”
“But what if I don’t want to?”
Kyojuro was surprised by the fact you cut him, and with such a loud yet trembling voice. But he was even more surprised by your words. He stared at you with wide red-orange eyes. His mouth gaped as he was too stunned to reply.
“I know that everyone is trying to be nice, telling me to get better soon, coming to check on me, Kocho told me it wasn’t my fault but–!”
Your words made everything fall into place for Kyojuro. It was not about not wanting to eat. It was not about healing physical injuries. It was much deeper than that.
“She even offered to train with her. And I’m sure you will agree with her. Just like you probably agree with her about this whole situation because of course, you will. But now is too late to train because they all already died! And I could not help anyone! I’m just useless!”
“[Y/N], I can’t let you say such a th-”
“What use am I?!”
Your outburst resonated through the whole room, empty aside from Kyojuro and you. Your voice broke as you held fistfulls of the blanket covering your body. Your form started to shake as a sob escaping your trembling lips.
“Kyojuro… What was I made for, exactly?”
When you looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, Kyojuro swore he could feel his heart being ripped into shreds. Through his lips, your name slipped in a whisper. Your breathing was heavy as you came down from your meltdown.
Slowly, he reached out to take your hands in his once more. And this time, you did not pull away. You accepted his touch, so gentle, as if he was afraid you would break if he were to move a little too fast. His gaze never looked away from your trembling one. You needed an anchor to ground you, and the Flame Pillar was ready to play this role.
“[Y/N], I want you to listen to me.”
It was not the voice of Kyojuro, your warm and joyful friend. It was the voice of Rengoku, the strong Flame Pillar, determined to accomplish the mission he assigned to himself. He waited for you to give him a nod, signaling you were listening to him, before moving on.
“Your hands are made to protect others.”
When you opened your mouth to protest, he lifted one of his hands to place his fingertips against your lips, stopping you from saying anything. His other hand kept hold on your smaller one, giving it a soft but reassuring squeeze. Kyojuro would not let you talk down to yourself any longer.
“When something makes me angry, it’s your hand grabbing my sleeve that grounds me,” he explained. “When I fall down, it’s your hand that reaches out to help me back up. When I got hurt, it’s your hand that comes to lay on my shoulder to check on me. When I need comfort, it’s your hand that rubs my back. When I taste delicious food, it’s your hand that hands me more. It’s always your hand…”
As he spoke his fingertips moved away from your lips to caress the skin of your cheek before cradling it delicately - as if you were the most precious thing in the world. His other hand guided yours up to his own lips. Kyojuro closed his eyes as he laid the most tender kiss on your knuckles, a gesture to thank your hand for its help. His lips were warm. You could feel every single emotion of his through them.
“Kyojuro…” Your voice was barely above a whisper as a tear fell down your red cheek. Then a second rolled down. And soon, you found yourself unable to stop them from streaming down.
Kyojuro could feel your hand tremble in his hold. His warm eyes opened, filled with his natural compassion. For a short while, he admired your features in silence: flushed cheeks wet from tears, glassy eyes, quivering lips…
“Your hands saved me more than once,” the Flame Pillar admitted, his voice softer than usual, each word carrying reassurance and gratitude. “Don’t call yourself useless ever again, because I would not be as strong without your protection.”
Not able to hold anything in anymore, you let go of everything - every tear, every doubt, every self-hatred thought, every single feeling… You did not know how long you cried. Somewhen during it, Kyojuro wrapped his arms around your sobbing form, protecting you from the outside world. The fabric of his uniform was wet from your tears over his shoulders, but he never once complained about it. His comforting hand rubbed your back, the circular motion soothing your ache.
You did not know why you were here, what you were made for…
But you knew what you could be.
For as long as he would let you, you will be here to support Kyojuro.
thank u all so much for 100 followers! I want to specially thank @doumadono because I obviously would be nowhere near this milestone without her amazing support!
After almost three months, this local mess of a writer is back (sorry, I have no notion of time... really). But today, I got inspired after a little adventure at work... A.K.A a child was sick and I was the one taking care of him. I decided to mix it with my current hyperfixation which is Demon Slayer, and here we are with three of my favorite demons (+ the walking menace)!
Hope you’ll enjoy! Have an amazing day, everyone, and don’t forget to drink water!
Content warnings: Gender neutral reader, reader is sick, still fluffy tho, one line of spoiler for Akaza, no graphic imagery don’t worry.
Characters: Akaza, Daki, Aizetsu, Douma.
Song I listened to while writing: Always by Dreamcatcher.
Akaza
When one night, he came to visit and you asked him to not come too close of you because you were around someone sick, he looked at you like you bumped your head. Did you really think that he, a demon, would catch a human sickness?
But that did not mean he did not act like a “mother hen”. He sent you straight to the bathroom so you could wash the germs away, just to be sure.
The night after, when he found you laying in bed and indeed sick, his heart was so pained.
He had no memories of his human life but his heart remembered. So Akaza did not understand why it made him feel so panicked and sad to see you in this state.
Since he can not go out during daytime, he spent the whole day taking care of you. Do you need something from the kitchen? He will get it for you. Do you need to go to the bathroom? He will offer to carry you there. Do you feel sick in the stomach? This man will not hesitate and will hold your hair back for you. He will treat like royalty until you feel better.
He actually felt bad for leaving at night because Muzan could not wait, but promised to be back before sunrise.
Even when you felt better, he still checked on you and took care of you for a few days, just to be sure.
Daki
Honestly, she would be mean at first, I am not going to lie about that. When you came to see her, like every day after work, and told her you had to take care of someone sick, she demanded you to not come near her, even if she could not get sick.
But the next day, when you did not stop to say ‘hi’ during your breaks and never came to see her after work, that was when something ticked in her head.
Next thing you knew, you ended up with a demon in your room while you were bed-ridden. Daki decided to make you the honor to stay with you during the whole daytime - no one in the Entertainment District would dare to come bother her anyway.
And even during the night. She would just go out to get some ‘food’ and come back as soon as she was done.
She still was a little distant, not being physical affectionate while you were sick. She kept you company and talked about her day (and gossiped about the people around).
As much as she tried to keep her strong facade, Daki was still a rather sensitive person. She hated to see you in this state. There was one moment where, when she was talking and you stopped responding because you fell asleep, she started to tear up in fear you just slipped away. Gyutaro had to come out to reassure his sister.
As soon as you felt better, it was time to make up for the lost time. Be prepared to be tackled into a hug because she will be all over you. And she will complain because how dared you be sick.
Aizetsu
The softie turned into “worried mode” as soon as you told him you spent your whole day with someone who was sick. What if you ended up sick yourself? What if the sickness turned to the worst? What if you died? You had to calm him down because his thoughts were going a little too far.
The next night, when he found you sick, all of his worries came back in a second. Even while bed-ridden, you held his hand to reassure him. But honestly, he will not feel better until you were healthy again.
He went as far as to ask Sekido to let him stay by your side day and night until you get better. Surprisingly, Sekido accepted. Probably because he knew that Aizetsu would be too preoccupied because of your health to do anything effective.
I can see him as a little overwhelming when you are sick. If you do something as little as the smallest cough, he would run up to you with a glass of water and a first-aid kit. If you are the empathetic type, he would share his stress with you unintentionally.
I have the feeling that, as overwhelming as he can be, he would be one of the best to take care of you (like Akaza). He would always ask how you were feeling, if you needed anything, and would do anything to make you feel better.
When you were finally feeling better, Aizetsu swore he never felt this relieved in his whole long life. Also Sekido will stop by to scold you for being sick and holding back Aizetsu, telling you that you better never get sick ever again.
Douma
Now, this walking menace would be the worst. He found it funny - and even adorable - that you told him to not come too close of you because you might have germs on you after a day taking care of someone sick. Really, he did not take you seriously.
But when the next day, he did not see you walking around the Cult as you usually did, he was quick to connect the dots and had no choice but to trust you.
He went straight to your bedroom and offered to nurse you back to health. How nice of him, right? Wait... Why are you refusing his help without a second of hesitation? Come on, he promised to be gentle.
Even if he teased you from time to time by hugging you close while you were complaining about not wanting to get him sick, he was still mindful. He wanted his current favorite to be back as soon as possible, after all.
Actually the only demon from this batch to bring a doctor to you. He asked one of his followers to go get one to examine you. Douma played nurse with a big smile on his face, asking you to open your mouth while he gave you medicine... This man was enjoying it way too much.
Good luck when you will be better, because he will never leave you alone. Because now, you had no more reason to complain about his affectionate gestures, right?
So... Do you ever think about how Knives's cloak is made out of his own knives that he can control, so he basically protects himself all the time and if anybody tried to touch him, they would would instantly lose their hand, no matter if it was to hurt him or to comfort him, because he really does not want any physical contact because it would be letting someone in emotionally too, and he does not want to be hurt again by doing this... Or are you normal and have peaceful thoughts?
So... I’m back. And I’m so surprised my previous post received so much attention! Thank you! I’m here to deliver more of the thoughts that keep me up at night. Accept this reader with love handles/thunder thighs being loved by Trigun characters.
I hope you’ll enjoy!
Content warnings: Selft doubts, some groping, fluff, reader has love handles, reader has thunder thighs, implied nsfw on some parts.
Characters: Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Millions Knives, Meryl Stryfe, Milly Thompson. (Maybe I’ll do a sequel with other characters when I’ll feel confident enough to write about them...)
Song I listened to while writing: Some Love by DREAMCATCHER.
Vash the Stampede
First thing first,Vash loves you with his whole heart. And he adores every single part of you. He thinks you’re perfect, inside and out.
So obviously, he loves your love handles. It makes more you for him to love!
If you ever talk bad about your body, it would literally break his heart as if he was the one being talked bad about. And look, now, you’ve made the boy cry!
Vash can and will worship your body to prove you how much he loves it, without hesitation. He will pinch the fat of your cheeks, calling you adorable. He will kiss your love handles, calling you wonderful. If you let him, he will stay trapped between your thighs.
Also, this man will definitely carry you as if you weighted nothing. He will be the one asking you if you would let him offer you a piggyback ride, looking like a child during their birthday party.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood
This man will not leave you in peace. Never. Ever.
Sit next to him and Wolfwood will immediatly place his hand on your thighs as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
If you let him, he will use your love handles as a stress ball. Wolfwood will come from behind you, wrap his arms around you and will gently grop at your love handles.
If Vash is the type to pinch the fat of your cheeks, Wolfwood is the type to straight up bite your cheeks just to bother you.
One day, you asked him if he liked how you looked, if you should lose your fat... And he looked at you like you just told him you had three legs. Be prepared to be showered with a list of all the things Wolfwood loves about your body.
Millions Knives
For Knives, a body is a body. He is not the type to think anything in particular about how you look. He likes you, and that is all that matters.
But the moment he heard you talk down about your body, Knives took that personally. This man, of all people, chooses to love you, of all people. It should tell you enough how your body is special. How dared you talk down about something he holds in high regards?
Knives is a logical man. So he asked you what made you think this way, he tried to understand... And from this day on, he tried to be a little more demonstrative towards you - at least, in private.
This man is like his brother (they are really different yet similar on the weirdest points). So he will kiss your body and even worship it.
Don’t underestimate this man’s capacity to show his love behind closed doors.
Meryl Stryfe
Meryl is such a loving person with you. And since she is more on the petite size, she admires your body.
She seeks for your touch and, in her opinion, you give the best hugs because you are so comfortable to hold. Everytime she feels down, she just needs one hug or cuddle session from you, and she feels much better.
If she ever hears you talk down to yourself, she will call you out. She is rather forward, she can sound a little harsh, but she means well. Meryl just loves you so much and wishes you would see yourself as she sees you.
Meryl always compliments you once a day, at the very least: “You’re so comfortable” while cuddling you in bed, “This outfit suits you” when you wear something tight, and more.
Meryl will drive with a hand on your thigh. You can’t change my mind.
Milly Thompson
Milly is a whole another level of loving you. This girl runs up to you, lifts you in her arms and spins you around happily each time she sees you.
She is a mix of both Meryl and Vash. She is always seeking for you like Meryl and she is always ready to shower you with love like Vash.
With Milly, you never even have the time to think badly about yourself. It is as if she has a sixth sense because as soon as you start to feel bad, Milly appears and wraps you into a bear hug.
I personally think that Milly has thunder thighs herself - and maybe small love handles. So seeing Milly feeling confident and loving her body actually makes you feel good about yourself too.
All in all, Milly will cover you with love any chance she gets: kisses, compliments, hugs, and more.
I’m here to elaborate on my touch starved Knives with a reader who has “physical touch” as their love language. It’s been a while since I wrote anything in English so I’m sorry in advance if I’m rusty...
Song I listened to while writing: Trust Me! by DREAMCATCHER.
Knives does not like being touched. Or more precisely, he never lets anyone touch him. You, on the other hand, touching is how you prove someone you care about them, reassuring them with your presence and gentle touches.
The first time where, out of habit, you reached out toward Knives to place your hand against his back, you did not have to time to come closer enough that he stopped you. “Don’t.” A simple word which sounded like a warning.
As frustrating as it was, not matter how much you wanted to pat his back, no matter how much you wanted to give him a hug, no matter how much you just wanted to even bump your shoulder against his, you did not. You were patient and accepted his boundaries.
Well, until one day, where you found Knives fuming, alone in a room. It was not the first time you ran across him, isolating himself as he mumbled things about his brother, humans, “that woman”... And with intimidating aura around him, nobody dared to come near, scared to lose a limb or worse.
But this very day, you decided to move. You called out his name in a gentle voice. And before he had the time to reject you, you extended your hand and tenderly patted his head, promising that everything would be okay.
And at this very moment, time stopped from Knives. His eyes were focused on you and only you. He felt the tension leave his body. He never realized how much he needed the comforting pat (not that he would ever admit it anyway).
From this moment on, Knives has never rejected your touch ever again. He accepts every touch you offer, and inconsciously leans into it.
Placing your hand against his back when you leaned over to grab something? Yes. Casual bumps on his shoulder? He accepts them. You playing with his hands and fingers when you’re talking with him? Please, do. Giving him goodnight cheek kisses when you head to bed? He melts on the spot. A goodbye hug each time you have to go working? He does not want you to stop.
Knives got used to your physical affection faster that he thought he would, quickly becoming addicted to it. He even complained that one time you were sicked and you were the one refusing to touch him to not give him your germs. “I can’t get sick. Come.”
With time, Knives would start to initiate the touches himself. Except that his ones were more daring, as I can picture him liking skin-to-skin contact (in a not sexual way).
Sometimes, when you go to bed, Knives follows you to lay down and has some rest, even if he does not need it as much as you. He slips his hand under the top of your pajamas to place it against your belly, gently stroking the skin there.
When he feels more comfortable with the idea, his hand moves up to rest on your chest, just above your heart. He just likes to feel your heart beating under his hand. And with your permission, he would lay his head against your chest to listen to your beating heart (with or without your top on, but this man has his preference for without because, once again, skin-to-skin contact). And if you were to gently play with his hair, caressing his scalp with your fingers at the same time, he would just melt in your hands.
(Also, if someone dares to come and bother you two during these kind of moments, Knives would destroy them on the spot, no question asked).
All in all, Knives would never admit how much he fell in love with your gentle touches, nor how much he actually craves your physical affection and seeks it when you’re not here to offer him any... But it’s obvious he loves it. After all, you’re the only one who can touch him.
What's more self-indulgent for me than drawing a female version of Floyd wearing an outfit inspired by BOCA by DREAMCATCHER? I finally finished my thesis yesterday and so, drawing this was my personal reward.
I tried to draw Ava in the Twisted Wonderland's sprites style, so here she is. Maybe I'll try to draw her other outfits once my wrist hurts less.
I was hesitating between a skirt or shorts, and in the end, I did both versions. She just switches according to her mood of the day (or how much she'll need to run after Grim).
I was inspired by the ghost marriage event in the game, it took longer than I thought but I'm quite happy with the result, especially of the first drawing. I just love to draw interactions between Ava and the tweels!
Characters: Ava Iwao (OC), Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, Floyd Leech.
Words: 1569
Notes: This idea came up while listening to this cover of The Other Side. Ava is basically my version of our dear main character Yuu. This story is taking place little before the Scarabia Episode. Bonus information, Ava is bad at taking decision, so she always orders two drinks because it avoids her the dilemma of choosing.
Please also note that English is not my first language, sorry for any grammatical mistakes.
Ever since Ava sang that day, Azul wanted to get her to sing for Monstro Lounge. That day, after the overblot disaster that happened to him, she went to the piano and sang heavenly to prove him wrong with his "you don't even a beautiful voice" comment when he lured her to sign a contract with him. And she did prove him wrong… Belting, high notes, playing the piano…
She dared to prove him wrong in front of the whole Lounge, sitting at the piano which was usually used as a mere decoration. And what he did not miss was people's reaction: Ace and Deuce were smiling proudly, Grim was already cheering, Jack's ears were standing straight in attention, Jade seemed mesmerized, Floyd had a huge smile and even asked for more… And the clients of the Lounge kept their eyes on her, captivated, and applauded once she ended her performance. A real siren, even if she was only human. And Ava looked so happy, as if playing the piano and singing on the happy beat was what made her the happiest in this world. As if this place was where she was meant to be.
This was when Azul decided he had to make her sing for Monstro Lounge. She would attract more customers for sure, and she would be just were she belonged and was the happiest. A big win-win situation, right?
So why was she refusing each time he made the proposal to her? Was it because of the whole contract incident that made she could not trust him? Sadly, he could not give her wrong for being cautious, after what he did to her. Yet, he was not planning on giving up.
Today again, Ava came to have a drink - or rather two - at Monstro Lounge. It became her way to take a break from Grim's mess. She let him at the Heartslabyul Dorm (with Riddle's permission, of course) with Ace and Deuce, and she came here and ordered something.
"A milk latte and a chocolate sundae, I suppose," Jade said when he saw Ava sitting down at the counter. This is another habit she took, to sit there so she could talk with the twins. "Yes, please," the brunette smiled, before looking around her. "Is it me or is it less busy than usual?"
"It is," Jade replied while preparing her usual drinks. Ava was about to talk again, but she was cut short by a sudden weight on her back. She laughed a little, knowing perfectly where – or rather from who – this weight was coming from.
"Hello, Floyd," she noted, looking up towards the hyper eel, before feeling arms wrapped themselves around her small shape. "Little Shrimpy is back ~" he sang as a reply. He let himself fall on the chair next to Ava and kept his arms around her while Jade settled the two drinks in front of her.
"Thanks, Jade," Ava smiled. She shuffled a little to free her arms from Floyd's iron grip. She got strangely used to it, enough to know how to free herself from it… Somehow. The girl grabbed her milk latte, breathed in its sweet aroma and finally drank a few sips.
"Floyd, we are within working hours."
This voice… That was Azul suddenly coming up to the counter. Ava sighed, knowing perfectly why he was leaving his VIP room to come here. When they come across each other at school, she always smiles at him and is even down for a little chat, to talk about anything. But at Monstro Lounge, it was another story, because she knew what he wanted.
"But I want to hang out with Shrimpy," Floyd pouted. He tightened his grip around the brown girl, gaining a little squeak out of her. There he was, going into his 'not in the mood' mode. The teal haired balanced his legs back and forth, like a child, not moving from his spot. Azul sighed before looking over Jade, this glance alone enough to make him know what he wanted.
Jade managed to undo his brother’s iron grip on Ava and took a grumbling Floyd away in the kitchen. Ava looked away from Azul who sat down where her eel friend was seconds ago. “I know what you want, and the answer is still ‘no’,” she said before he could ask anything.
“The twins seem quite fond of you, I’m sure they would love to have you working here,” he commented. “You won’t have me by using them,” she cut him, “plus, pretty sure they’re fonder of the fun my clumsiness can bring them.” Ava went back to drinking her milk latte, avoiding any kind of eye contact. His eyes with his talk were a deadly combo. After all, this was how he won so many contracts in the past. The brunette knew better to look into his eyes when he was asking for anything.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Azul take her chocolate sundae to drink a few sips out of it. “Hey!” This was enough to make her finally look his way. “You sure love sweet drinks,” he commented, putting ‘his’ glass back on the table.
It was already too late when she realized her mistake. ‘Can’t believe I fell for this,’ she thought.
Azul kept his eyes on brunette, patiently waiting. Feeling nervous under his gaze, Ava let out a long sigh. “Look, Azul, I know how you told me you were going to tone down with the contracts and shady business, but it doesn’t change the fact I don’t want to work under you,” she explained, “being part of a mafia isn’t really my thing.” Even if she said this last part with a joking tone, she was still half-serious with it.
“Dear, I’m not going to chase you down eternally,” Azul added, “but I do think this offer would benefit us both.”
“First, it feels like I’m being chase down, and second, sorry, but I’m good, busy enough already with trying to survive in this school,” the girl noted in a nervous laugh. Ever since she arrived, she went through three overblot incidents, dealing with a monster cat who refuses to cooperate, dealing with Master Raven not being of any help with returning her home, thinking her head would be literally chomped at some point, being punched by an angry overblot Dorm Leader, having a Magical Shift’s disk smashed into her head, being chased away from her own dorm and around in the sea… So ‘survive’ really was the word.
“Talking about that, we could help you with the surviving part.”
“I’m not searching for bodyguards…”
“I am sure people would come just to listen to your voice and would recognize your talent.”
“I don’t seek recognition either.”
“But you would have fun singing.”
“I can already do that anywhere.”
“And some free food and drinks from the Lounge.”
“You won’t buy me with food, as much as I love it.”
“Financial independence from the headmaster.”
Ava stopped. She had nothing to reply to this point, mainly because this was what she wanted: independence from the headmaster. He always cried about how generous he was to help her, but at the same time used this ‘help’ to make her do anything he wanted. Actually, she thought before about taking a part-time job at Sam’s shop to be a little more independent.
The young lady looked away before looking at Azul again. That smirk on his face… He knew he just found the right string to pull. Sure, he had a beautiful smile, but his smirk made her want to punch him right in the face.
“This is what you seek, am I right?” The silver haired asked. The lack of reply from Ava was saying everything. “If you accept to perform a few songs to attract more customers, I will make sure to pay you for your work, I promise.”
…
“Being freer does sound nice, isn’t it?” He continued. “I see only winning points for you. Money, freedom, fun, being yourself… I think it is a deal worth making, but as I said, I’m not going to chase you down any longer. So, I will leave it up to you.”
A confident smile on his face, Azul extended his hand to the perplexed girl who just stared at it, trying to take a decision without falling in a trap. And at last, a sigh…
“I’m not signing anything with you.”
“It was not my attention.”
“And I’m not going to help you with anything illegal or deal-related things.”
“I was not asking you to.”
“And I have a troublesome cat to take care of, so I won’t work every day.”
“How does only the weekends at first sound like?”
“Will my pay be real money, though?”
“I would not dare to lie.”
“Can’t you give me a straight answer to this?” Ava sighed. She could not believe she was really doing this. But she finally took Azul’s hand to shake it. This was the cost of being financially independent from the Raven Headmaster. She felt Azul’s fingers wrap themselves back around her hand. Why did she feel like she fell back into a trap?
“You do know it is illegal to work without contracts, don’t you?”
“Oh my god, Azul!”
And so started Ava’s part-time job as a singer for Monstro Lounge.
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