nanami brain

annie ⋆ 22 ⋆ jujutsu kaisen

[overtimers]

hi! your writing is a gift 🙌🏻 I love it, I love you, thank you 💖

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa, thank you so much! i didn’t expect to get any kind of feedback at all, i’ve just been posting whatever pops into my head so this means an awful lot. i love youuuu <3

[overtimers]

so i thought about stock broker nanami getting invited to a nomikai or drinking party with his seniors and getting way too fucking drunk in an attempt to curry favour with them. this is the result.

reader: gender neutral rating: teen word count: 1,399

♡   what he likes the least about nomunication is that it works. letting loose with the boss and showing him the man behind the mask has helped him advance in his company

♡   which makes him more money. which means he and you have more at your disposal to live comfortably right now. you’ve convinced him he shouldn’t break his back and live happily some other day, you want him to find joy soon

♡   and you give him that joy. there is no better way to repay it, in his mind, than to work hard to help support your dreams and goals. even if that includes drinking his face off with peers that he can’t stand

♡   usually, he’s fine. he knows how to toe the line between respectably buzzed and still in control. he almost never overdoes it, especially when he’s making sure not to drink on an empty stomach. but sometimes...

♡   sometimes, he’s starving and the sake shots make it hard for him to say no to the whisky shots that follow. and the length of the gatherings trips him up on occasion, leading to nanami getting much drunker much quicker than he intends

♡   he tries to recover, he truly does, but then they bring out the wine. and he can never resist a good bottle of wine, especially when there’s food finally being offered. even if it’s too late to help sober him up any

♡   he laughs more easily at terrible jokes, usually made at their client’s expense. and he tries not to think about how he’s wasting his precious time on earth here in a bar when he could be at home with you

♡   nanami has to be careful about what he says, trying to keep it together enough to still be palatable to his boss is a mental exercise that leaves him so beyond tired

♡   it’s nearly two in the morning when he’s finally allowed to stumble to the curb and hail a taxi. a work friend makes sure the driver has the right address and he’s grateful at least that there are some good people in the world

♡   but not enough to justify this kind of stress, he thinks

♡   he doesn’t know how you’re so quick to get downstairs, but nanami is again overwhelmed with gratitude. he sincerely doubts he would’ve been able to pay the driver properly without forgetting how money works halfway through the exchange

♡   but you appear, tugging open the passenger door and thanking the man in the driver’s seat so brightly. you take care of everything, and help your stumbling boyfriend out of the car

♡   he’s embarrassed, it isn’t often you see him like this. but it isn’t the first time and at the very least--- his inebriation always seems to give you something to smile about

♡   you always insist he’s very funny when he’s drunk. that he’s very funny when he isn’t drunk, too. nanami replies that you’re too fucking nice

♡   his filter drops the second that he’s home, and he swears a lot. he also apologizes more than he would when he’s sober. you have to partially carry him into the apartment? he’s very sorry to be a bother. he bumps his head on the door frame walking in? ow, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck

♡   at this stage of drunkenness it’s difficult for him to fall asleep. so he’ll let you take care of him as you draw up a bath and a wash the gel out of his hair. his business clothes get thrown in the laundry, he can’t be smelling like booze on monday morning

♡   you’re careful undressing him. and though he makes a few, silly comments about about how he’s at your mercy right now--- the both of you know for a fact that he’s useless during drunk sex. it only makes him frustrated

♡   he keeps tilting his head towards yours, trying to ask without asking for kisses. the gesture makes you giggle, it’s just so obvious even if he’s clearly trying to be subtle. nanami tells you not to laugh at his expense, to just give him what he wants

♡   and you do. albeit after laughing at his expense.

♡   he goes quiet while you’re drying his hair, kissing the back of his neck and his shoulders every few moments. nanami gets more sentimental than he’s comfortable with when he’s drunk, turning over words in his head to tell you how much he loves you

♡   he eventually settles on a very curt thank you. and it makes you momentarily incomprehensible as you succumb to laughter. in trying to be open, he sounds quite stiff and you think it’s funny. nanami blushes, and he’s glad that you understand what he’s trying to say

♡   because you kiss him once you’ve regained his composure, and tell him that you’ve never in your life waited up for a man to come home drunk from work. until him. so he must be very special

♡   he wants to argue that you’re the special one, but he can’t speak. you make sure he’s very occupied kissing you back

♡   when you’ve toweled him off, you button up his favorite pajamas (blue-and-white striped flannel) and tuck him into bed

♡   you make him drink a full glass of water with some headache medication and settle down next to him. nanami curls around you immediately, resting his head on your chest and closing his eyes

♡   he’s out like a light  almost immediately, mumbling something about how you’re warm. about how he loves you. nanami will be miserable the next morning with a hangover, but you watch him sleep with a surprisingly peaceful look on his face. you could get used to seeing it.

[overtimers]

i just found ur blog and i think your nanami fics/hcs are so cute!! it's really nice reading them. they totally just made my day 🥰

i phased out of reality for like two days but i am so so pleased you like my offerings! this made my day, you absolute angel. i would die for you, thank you so much <3

[mafuyuh]

inumaki toge | volume 0 🍙

[aimaki]

@omisluvr

[lightningstrikes-art]

Read left-to-right.

[aimaki]

award winning

[taohs]

R.I.P. TODO 🙏

[sloaners]

do you think gojo would be flustered by a real confession?

[aimaki]

@sophiashortcake

[overtimers]

moreeeeee fic for mr kento because of course i want soft pre-series content when he’s still working as a stock broker. he deserves kisses and a little bit of gentle, loving bullying.

reader: gender neutral rating: teen word count: 1,399

“I want to be seen with you,” you press that truth to the shell of his ear like it isn’t enough to make him rubble.

So much of what you say is an unexpected bomb. Beautiful, usually, and earnest in a way that could turn his skin hot. He tries to deny himself the glance that will ensure you see the red stain on his cheeks. You make him blush like a brick wall and he doesn’t think he makes you try hard enough to earn it.

“This isn’t about wants,” he replies. “I wish it were that simple. This is about work.”

“And what if this is my work?” you ask. He tuts.

“You don’t get paid to distract me,” he reminds you. To his embarrassment, it only makes you bend even further over him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

“Maybe you’re more important than money,” you say. It sends a shiver up his spine. “When I say work, I don’t mean the kind I can clock in for.” 

“I know very well what you mean either way,” he insists. “And it involves time I could be inputting client data being wasted--”

“Boring!” you declare. And that hand on his shoulder becomes a hand at his chin very quickly.

You guide him to look at you with a gentleness at odds with your impatience. Before he has time enough to worry about whether he’ll need to be the one to give the first kiss, your lips are on his. It’s a soft gesture, you cradle his cheek like his jaw might be broken.

Nanami wonders what you would do if it actually were. He thinks about the last time it happened, a few years before he’d walked away from Jujutsu High and imagines the look of worry on your face contorting into horror. 

He almost pulls away, almost. But then you lean in again, brushing the tip of your tongue over his bottom lip. And then the blunt edge of your teeth gently bite down. You draw yourself closer, pressing against him in a way that even self hatred can’t force him to refuse.

“You look like someone who needs kisses, as a start,” you say in the space between breaks for air. He always forgets about his lungs for a moment. About oxygen.

“I need to get my work done,” he tries. But already he’s slipping. 

“I said kisses as a start, you’re also someone who looks like they need date night,” you speak like you didn’t hear him. Your smile is cloying, you heard everything he said.

“It’s rude to ignore your partner,” he tries. But all that does is earn him a kiss to stop him talking, which he’s more than happy to give into. 

His eyes close and he tilts his head towards yours, unable to pretend for even a moment that this isn’t what he was wishing for. Nanami’s work is painfully dull and seemingly endless, but you know better than most that he won’t excuse himself from it without pressure.

“Absolutely, why do you think I’m giving you all my attention?” your voice is sickly sweet, he hangs on your every word despite his annoyed expression.

“That isn’t what I meant,” he says, “and you know it. I don’t know why I bother.”

“Me either,” you reply. The nerve of you. “When I want something, I get it. And I want you to take a break and go on a date with me. Let me take you out, show you off.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re going to give in,” he considers. 

Foolishly, he tries to look back at the computer on his desk. He almost never takes work home, and yet when he does you make sure to become a prime nuisance. Nanami hopes that never changes.

You give a soft laugh and brush your thumb over his lower lip, swollen already from nibbles and kisses. He’s trying to deny the way you make him feel, but you already know too well.

“That’s the spirit,” you whisper. “When have I ever?”

“Where do you want to go?” he stutters a little too much on the first word. The tone and cadence of your voice turns his knees to jelly, he’s glad he’s already sitting down.

“Maybe to a movie, and then dinner after?” you ask, watching his face. But through the dazed expression clouding his eyes, you can see Nanami scowl very slightly. It makes you giggle.

“What about just dinner, hm?” he asks in return. “Can I argue you down to that?”

“I’ll never understand why you don’t like movie theatres,” you sigh.

For all your awareness of him, you still haven’t quite cracked that part of him. He’s content to let it lie, to see the realization on your face when you understand his hesitance has nothing to do with if he likes movies. They’re fine at home, after all, because you’re allowed to speak during them.

But he doesn’t know if he could stand to sit in silence for two hours next to you. He’d want to hear your voice.

“We could do something else before dinner,” he suggests. “Would a walk in the park satisfy your need to tear me away from my desk?”

Your laugh bubbles up like water, the sound is like bells in his ears. You put your knee on the armrest of his chair, leaning in again and stealing a kiss instead of answering.

“You’re so fond of compromise, do you know what that makes you?” you ask.

“A pencil-pusher?” he returns, anticipating some kind of teasing. Your expression flickers.

“I was going to say a good boyfriend,” you smirk. “Because you are.”

“Oh,” is all he manages. 

It’s all he has time for, too. That hastily-taken kiss from moments earlier is nothing compared to the way you press against him now. Casual jokes at his expense are met with swift and painless retribution on your part, a languid kiss or a kind word. In most cases, a combination of the two.

He’s swept up in your teeth biting his lower lip again, wanting him to let you in. Nanami does so without a second thought, and you seem almost giddy. 

Your hands move over his hair in one pass, fingers brushing from back to front before settling at the back of his neck. He doesn’t like when you mess up his hair, he takes his time sweeping it back in the mornings. You remembered. 

But your hands can still do wonderful things, he thinks as they press so carefully against the spots of tension that bloom at the edge of his spine. You work at them, carefully, with the pads of your fingers as you encourage him to hold you back.

He swivels in his chair, upset with himself for holding out for so long. Whatever pride he can salvage from denying he belongs to you fizzles out the moment you win him over. You should have been in his arms ten minutes ago. In fact, he never should have let you go this morning.

“I hate to say I told you so,” you giggle in his ear, having broken the kiss for air. “But when I’m right, I’m right. You need this, Kento, or you’ll work yourself to death.”

You press one knee beside his outer thigh, leaning forward to hug him closer. But fully climbing into his lap, you recall from last time, is out of the question.

He doesn’t respond verbally, choosing instead to turn his face towards your jaw. His mouth fits right where it meets your neck, brushing his lips over your soft skin. Nanami hums, nudging his nose against your pulse. It’s easy to get lost like this, to exist in a state where he has nothing to keep track of.

“We could just do this for an hour,” you start. “Make out like teenagers and then go get food.”

His glasses are getting in the way, you decide. They’re already fogged up and askew, you carefully take them off his face. Nanami doesn’t reach for them when they’re set aside on his desk.

He settles into the blurry haze, the curve of your beautiful phase softened just around the edges. He closes his eyes and lets you kiss him before he can speak, you already know that your offer sounds like heaven to him.

[itachis]

NANAMI KENTO ✰ jujutsu kaisen episode 13.

[overtimers]

while todo believes that everyone should show takada the respect and reverence she deserves, he’s nevertheless uncertain when you actually show interest in her after he infodumps.

he isn’t used to people, let alone people he likes, being actually willing to gush about her. he even goes as far to insist that it’s fine if you don’t really care. when you shrug, kiss his cheek and say that you absolutely do-- his heart gives a little lurch.

it lurches again when you find an idol of your own to screech about to him. and he absolutely watches interviews and fancams with you because you do the same for him. 

while there’s only room in his heart for takada, he understands very quickly that you weren’t feigning an interest at all. you love him and you care about what he likes, and he’ll care about yours too.

[tojiology-deactivated20210608]

∘ 𝒹𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓃𝒶𝓃𝒶𝓂𝒾 ∘

It's always the little things that makes my heart warm when thinking about being with Nanami.

I can see him being the type of man that imagines you two sitting together in your living room, reading, as his safe haven.

Just a Sunday at noon, him in his favorite spot, an armchair that gives him direct view of you in a daybed you convinced (begged) him to get. The bay window behind you provides a glow that looks magnificent on your warm skin. Everytime he looks up from his book his heart stops, always enamored by your beauty, your eyes, the contentment in your face. His eyes often lock on your lips, and sometimes you can catch him if you look up fast enough.

He's not one to get flustered easily, but when you grin knowingly he almost always clears his throat, fiddles with the knot of his tie if he's wearing one, and pretends he was only glancing out the window behind you.

Just being absolutely in love with eachother and the rare domesticity you both get on the weekends. No tv or radio on, just the dampened sound of sparrows through the windows. Nothing but tranquility and adoration filling your home.

anyway here's what I was listening to when I thought about this.

[mixedhell]

thanks @gixxie and @lady-lunaaa for the lil ideas 

[overtimers]

so i’m of the opinion that nanami can sub under the right circumstances so have some content with him getting soft dommed and loved on. enjoy <3

reader: gender neutral rating: explicit word count: 1,301

♡  it’s not that he can’t be in charge in the bedroom, or that he doesn’t like it. on the contrary, there are times when he’s too wound up to do anything else

♡  but to claim that he doesn’t have a submissive bone in his body would be false. even if most people assume that’s the case

♡  he knows he can be a wet blanket sometimes, dour or stoic or seen as a hard-ass. but with the same languid joviality that you give to your kisses, you press him back against the sofa in your apartment and whisper you’ll take care of him

♡  poor nanami doesn’t stand a chance. he makes a soft sound that could definitely be a choked-on sigh and you’re already removing his glasses. his chest aches when you kiss the bridge of his nose, he tries to lean forward

♡  but your chests can’t press any tighter together, he realizes. and your fingers in his hair brush and tug his head back to keep him from trying. you look at his face, at his dilating pupils and his slightly open mouth

♡  you call him needy and he shivers, but it isn’t cruelly meant. he likes that you can see when he has needs, and want to meet with so much energy and desire. you want to please him by taking him apart piece by piece. nanami considers that you are the only person in the world who is allowed to find out how he works

♡  when you ask for explicit consent, the wordplay makes him groan and drop his head on your shoulder. you tug him back by the hair and the exasperation in his voice leaves so quickly

♡  he has unexpectedly deep moans and is more vocal than you might think. he mostly grumbles your name and tells you not to tease him, but it happily goes disregarded

♡  nanami doesn’t actually want you to go easy on him. he wants you to tease and deny him for as long as you like. he wants to make you happy when he gives in to the way you make him feel

♡  you use his tie as a lead, guiding him from to wherever you want to have him. he likes your spontaneity, in contrast with his own tendency to take you on the bed when he’s being dominant

♡   but you like to fuck all over the apartment. dining chairs, on counters, against walls. the  whole space is yours to use and he is to be used. it sounds like heaven

♡   he doesn’t try to pull away or change your mind. he delights in wherever you decide, embracing the thrill of surprise and of not having to choose. but his favourite spot is when you stay right on the couch, and only move to pull him into your lap

♡   you keep him under control with his tie wrapped around your fist. he can see you when you’re this close, having to lean in a little because any sort of distance just will not do. nanami presses your forehead against his

♡   he cups your face and you let him kiss you, trying his best to please while you distract him with your hands. he turns bright red when you tell him he’s easily distracted, even if it’s true

♡   you grab at his chest over his dress shirt, squeezing his pecs and abs. he doesn’t know if he’s always been this sensitive or if it’s just the thrill of you touching him that makes it so. but he struggles to stay on task when you push your fingers underneath his shirt

♡   you don’t even try to unbutton anything, you just force the fabric to ride up while you press and stroke and feel his skin. he’s been hard since you sat him in your lap, but his cock throbs incessantly with each brush of your hand

♡   he thinks about you ripping his shirt open, buttons going flying and ruining it completely. nanami knows if you were to actually do it he’d be annoyed in the afterglow, but all the thought does in the moment is make him twitch in anticipation

♡   he’s lanky and awkward with intimacy, trying to push himself up on his knees so his bodyweight doesn’t hurt you. you seem to know when he’s about to do foolishness, one hand reaching to grab him by the tie and tug him back down so he’s pressed against you again

♡   when you tease him for the obvious bulge in his trousers, it’s almost a relief. at least you’re not ignoring it like last time, waiting until his patience wore so thin that he needed to remind you himself

♡   but it was hot when that happened, he admits to himself. still, nothing quite compares to you palming the front of his pants without him needing to beg first. he rocks a little back against your palm, which only prompts more teasing

♡   but he just can’t keep his hips still. nanami grunts when you take your hand away, moving instead to unbutton his shirt. he likes when your skin is against his, absolutely, but he thought you weren’t going to make this an endurance test

♡   his face is a blushy mess, he revels in feeling a little powerless more than you might think when you tug on his tie again and say that if he wants to come then he can start grinding on you

♡   he knows this pretty well, though and while you wouldn’t describe him as eager to do as ordered-- he wraps his arm around you and gets to work

♡   your hands return to his chest, pinching and rolling his nipples which makes him grunt in surprise. he likes it more than he thought, which you counted on. you always know how best to please him

♡   it’s easy to rile him up, especially when you’re kind and move one hand down to cup his bulge so he has something to rut against. he sighs and drops his cheek to your shoulder, and your other hand immediately rises to his hair

♡   he likes that best of all, slowly working his hips against yours while you brush his hair back from his forehead. it’s as calming as it is arousing, a welcome reprieve from the weight of the world on his shoulders

♡   nanami likes it when you talk to him. you warble praise and sweet words without really thinking and it coaxes him into relaxing. he wants to exist, even for just a little while, as nothing more than the kind names you call him

♡   he wants to be good, needy, precious and anything else you can come up with. he can hear the smile in your voice as he grunts that he’s going to come. and he revels in the way you remind him that you haven’t even touched him yet, at least not really

♡   you don’t stop him, as you do on occasion when you’re really testing his stamina. he’s grateful for that, so much so that he doesn’t mind when you squeeze and palm him until he comes in his trousers

♡   he slumps down on top of you, his arms thrown around your neck and his chest heaving. all the while, your fingers brush through his hair. after a few minutes of pause, they form a fist and carefully pull his head back

♡   you kiss him, and he melts into the embrace. if you didn’t know any better, you’d say he thanks you for the attention. but it’s hard to tell when he’s still gasping for air.

[overtimers]

hi there! i’m annie, i’m a writer and i’m mostly hyperfixating on nanami!i’m brand new to jjk and the kento side of the fandom so if you could give this a like/reblog i’ll come check you out! i need people to populate my dash with my mans and i have some writing up already if you care to take a peek <3

[mrskurono]

Choso likes to play with your nipples. Doesn’t exactly need any certain breast size bc all of them look small in his hands. 

Choso loves to sit behind you and rest his chin on your shoulder while he toys with your nipples. Doesn’t realize it turns you on at first but he loves the way your hard nipples roll between his thumb and forefinger.

Choso loves nothing more than to play with your nipples mindlessly.

[overtimers]

splinter.

i haven’t written a word of prose in a year so don’t expect a miracle. i’m posting this so soon after the hcs because mania for hot anime boys be like that, so enjoy a little bit of a prelude to those!

reader: gender neutral rating: teen word count: 1,301

“I decided why I have a crush on you,” you say as he falls into step behind you.

Nanami was lagging, as he’d held the office door for you. But in place of a thanks, you toss out something serious like it’s frivolous. And you pair it with a toss of your head, shaking your hair down from its practical bun. 

You haven’t even gotten to the elevator and you’re already shape-changing.

He won’t claim to be unfamiliar with the curve of your smile, however. Nor is your bright laugh uncharted territory. You give him both of these without hesitance in the space between exiting the subway station and sitting down at your desk. 

So why does your innocuous admission surprise him so much? You’ve always been a free spirit, stalling at his cubicle between filing paperwork and running to get the boss more coffee. And it was clear you liked him from the start, finding excuses to loiter around after your shift ended to catch the same train back home with him. 

“Are you going to keep me in suspense?” he asks when you seem to wait for a reaction. He pushes his glasses up his nose. “I didn’t know you were in charge of workplace evaluations.”

“You’re making a joke,” you declare, and it’s chased by a laugh. He could like that laugh so much, if he let himself.

Nanami chooses to ignore the fact that he already does. That denying it is pointless.

“I’m allowed to do that,” he replies. “I’m off the clock, I get my sense of humour back at six.”

“It’s ten,” you remind him. “You stayed too late again.”

“And yet I’m walking you home,” he says. You scoff and swing your purse out, knocking it gently against his thigh. 

“Please, it’s the other way around,” you beam. He’s flashed a wink that makes his insides gelatinous. Nanami’s only grateful it doesn’t make his steps falter. 

“No, you’re going telling me how you know you're interested in me,” he tries not to sound impatient. But of course he does, because he is. 

It adds insult to an injury you haven’t dealt him yet. You joke so often, but this time he isn’t looking forward to the punchline.

“Because you hate it here,” you start to talk just as you stop walking.

You turn on your heel, like you’re expecting your companion to stop just as quickly. To his surprise, he does and he finds himself glancing back at you. Your head is tilted up, watching the lights from the towering office building. Some go out, but most are still on. 

“Is that all?” he asks. “That hardly makes me special, I doubt anyone enjoys their job.”

“You’re very special,” you say. Your voice brims with that disarming joviality that makes him wonder if you’re teasing. “You hate it here and yet you’re still nice to people. Nice to me.”

“I--” he starts. But he falters as you turn back the right way and keep walking.

“That’s why I like-like you,” you say. And you nod your head like all is decided.

“You--” he tries again. His head swivels to follow you but it takes another moment to realize he’ll have to catch up again. That’s normal, at least. Most of the time, Nanami feels like he’s chasing you somewhere.

“Don’t act so surprised,” you say, “half the office is infatuated with you. You must be used to it.”

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say his surprise had dented your pride. You sound almost petty with the way you talk about alleged workplace affection. But he finds his words again, if only so that subtle pout of yours won’t stay. 

“I’m not,” he manages. “But I won’t ask how you know it, you’re the one who likes the water cooler gossip.”

“It keeps the boredom away,” you reply. And then you pull a face. “Well, it almost does.”

“And is that what I do?” he asks. “Alleviate boredom?”

“I already told you what you do,” you say, looking disappointed. “You hate your job and you’re not an asshole despite that.”

“Do yourself a favour and get higher standards,” he says. “It’s too easy to win your affection.”

“Mhm,” you hum in the affirmative. And you’re smiling at him again, though it looks a little less bright than before. That doesn’t sit well with him, Nanami starts to consider that your odd confession might be just that.

“But don’t change just because I say so,” he adds.

“If I did, you wouldn’t have a crush on me,” you reply. His eyes snap to yours and your smile is back in full force. All of a sudden he understands it to be a smile of triumph and not humour at all.

You’re telling the truth, he knows why he doubted it but he still feels like a fool. Worse, in fact. He feels rude.

“Am I so easy to read?” he asks, still reeling.

“No, I’ve had to work very hard. But it’s all right. I’m into you, remember?” you say. He’s left half-stunned again. 

“It never feels like work to understand someone when they’re kind,” he agrees. And you nod again, this time a little slower. He dares to hope a little surprise of your own keeps you teetering on the edge of uncertainty.

Nanami would like to think salary work hasn’t made him so boring that he’s incapable of surprises, after all.

“Sometimes I wonder if people only reveal their true feelings to find out if they’re worthy of reciprocation,” he admits. “But there’s a difference between gratification and courage.”

“Which do you think this is?” you don’t hesitate to ask, and you don’t seem to mind that he struggles for an answer. “You don’t have to flatter me, Keno. I said you were nice, not a kiss-ass.”

That makes him laugh. It’s a short, unexpected laugh that feels strange in his ribs. He has to wonder if it could ever be a sound anyone would want to hear twice. 

“If I were an optimist, I’d say you’ve been waiting to tell me for some time,” he decides. 

The look on your face is a decision. It’s confusion and joy and acceptance in one artful arrangement, it’s a choice to trust that he understands. To know that above all else, he is what he’d never admit to: sentimental. Good. Optimistic. 

“Does this mean we start calling our lunch breaks dates?” you ask. He gives a noncommittal shrug.

“It isn’t necessary. But if you wanted to, I wouldn’t be opposed,” his heart pounds in his ears. He worries that he’ll stop feeling the ground beneath his feet. 

“Why not?” you return to that bubbly confidence he doesn’t understand. It doesn’t feel like a retreat, if anything he considers how hard it must be to be honest with this much of your heart laid bare. “If we’re dating, we can go to a steakhouse.”

“Is that so?” he asks, unable to stop another laugh from catching on his last syllable. He watches the spring enter your step from out of the corner of his eye. “That sounds expensive to me.”

“I’m not paying for your food, cheapskate,” you say. “Unless you want to marry me.”

He inhales, wondering why he ever looked away from you if all you want to do tonight is surprise him. But the irreverence he’s used to has returned, you’ve welcomed him to a place of safety. 

“That’s what I thought,” you say before he can stutter out an answer. “It was hard enough getting you to admit you liked me back. Anything more will take a miracle!”

“Or a steak,” he offers up. Your laugh is a shout, shorter now and like his. The corner of his lip quirks involuntarily.