A/N: I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm not even much of a DC fan, but Jason Todd has quickly become my latest hyper fixation character (Harley Quinn too, do I just have a thing for Joker victims???) so ... thank you for giving me a place to put this energy I guess! 😂 I'm not super confident on the characterizations, but I'm going with it because I like it. If it's wildly ooc ... that tracks, given that the only DC comic I've read is Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. Read it, or don't, I just needed to get the thoughts out of my head. The art doesn't belong to me, but the writing does. Please do not post elsewhere!
written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, starting out fluffy, will probably get NSFW later so minors DNI, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!
word count: 1.7k
Chapter Selection
In a city known for its masked fighters, you learn pretty quickly that everyone and everything is a potential threat. Every approaching stranger on the street, every loud sound behind you, every dark alleyway. Being bigger than me certainly isn't a prerequisite to being a danger, but it does have a way of setting off my mental alarms. I've found that big men are used to getting their way, and they get all sorts of bent out of shape if you deny them their wishes. Especially when they think they're doing you a favor.
It died down a bit after high school; I learned to exist in public with ‘fuck off’ stamped across my face. Headphones on, reading a book, intentionally seated at the table furthest from the other cafe patrons. All the typical signs of someone who wants to be left alone; nothing about me said ‘please come talk to me'. So I was understandably on edge when I noticed someone standing by the chair across from me. I look up just a bit, gesturing to the chair with a nod. Silent consent to take it back to his table and leave me to my book.
No such luck. The man simply smiled and mimed taking headphones off. Putting a bored look on my face, I moved one off my ear. “... Hm?”
“Hi! I'm sorry to bother you, but my brother thinks you're really beautiful and is refusing to come tell you himself.”
I could feel my expression turning to stone. “... What is this, middle school?”
His cheerful grin faltered ever so slightly; “hey, I know it's a bit silly, but he's awkward around cute girls, so what's a brother to do, ya know?”
I stared him down; “... You're not fooling anyone. Move on.”
“... Sorry, ‘fooling anyone’?”
“It’s not funny, it’s not even hurtful the 20th time, it's just annoying. Go. Away.” It was a lie; it was always painful to be on the receiving end of these pranks. But that was what these guys wanted, so I wasn't going to tell him that. My headphones back in place, the guy slunk away.
Ten minutes later, another person was standing by the chair. I pretended not to see him, continuing to read my book, until he plopped down in the seat. I looked up slowly and he smiled, another oddly warm smile, leaning forward on his elbows.
An incredibly put-out sigh later, I slid the headphones off one ear again. “What?”
“Hi, I'm Tim! I'm not sure what exactly my brother said to you, but I wanted to let you know - we're not trying to prank you or something. Our brother is just way too awkward with girls. It's painful to watch, really, so we figured we'd give him a hand.” He spoke much too fast for me to get a word in. I blinked a bit, raising an eyebrow.
“... You frat boys are really committing to the bit these days, huh?”
“Huh? No, really, I promise!”
My headphones were nearly back into place when a child showed up. His impatient expression matched how I felt about the whole situation. “As usual, Drake, your plans are far too convoluted to be effective. Watch and learn.”
He turned to me, nothing about his demeanor changing; “hello. Todd said we shouldn't bother you because you ‘clearly want to be alone’, but I am convinced the only way to stop their nonsense is if he comes over. May he have a moment of your time?”
Frowning a little, I stared at the kid. He stared right back, neither of us blinking for a solid minute as we sussed each other out. His expression barely changed, but the boredom in his eyes turned into determination. “... Well, you're definitely not a frat boy. So I'll make you a deal; you may report back that he has permission to come say hi. If he doesn't choose to, that's the end of this little charade. And if either of them” I gestured to the one sitting at my table; “comes back over here, I start stabbing. Got it?”
The boy nodded once, and I thought I saw a ghost of a smirk. “You have my word.” He dragged the other man out of the chair by his shirt, pulling him stumbling toward their table. That was when I saw him. The only person at their table who hadn't come over yet. Even hunched over the table he was enormous, probably close to six feet tall; exactly the kind of man I typically avoided. The kid spoke sharply, pointing in my direction, and his head shot up to look in my direction. Even from across the spacious patio, I could see his face turning red. The obnoxious, cocky smirk I was expecting to see was entirely missing; instead he seemed almost confused.
Headphones back on but turned off so I could hear if he approached, I returned to my book. But I only got through a few pages before the first one shouted; “and offer to get her another coffee or something!”
I looked over to see the tall one frozen halfway between our tables, a look on his face like he was considering jumping over the patio fence to get away. His demeanor reminded me of a lost puppy, and I couldn't help the chuckle that rose up out of my throat. I bookmarked my page, set the book aside, and slid my headphones down around my neck. I really thought he was about to bolt until I lifted one hand, curling my fingers to gesture for him to continue toward me.
He stopped short by a good several feet, eyeing the distance between himself and the chair, and took one extra step back. It seemed as if he was hyper aware of just how much he loomed over me; the way he stood was like he was trying to will himself to be smaller, and he kept his hands at his sides. “Um … hi. … Sorry, this is … this is really weird …”
I nodded, watching him. “It is a bit. … Todd, was it?”
“Jay… Jason.”
“Not Todd?”
“Jason Todd. Damian calls me Todd, he thinks using people's last names keeps them at an arm's length…” Jason Todd. The name felt familiar, but I couldn't place why. He continued to ramble about how important tone was in determining whether this Damian kid was referring to you with affection or disdain, and I watched him. He was admittedly very cute; he had a sort of a bad boy aesthetic -leather jacket, dark clothes, a white streak in his hair, some unusual scars on his face and arms-, which juxtaposed interestingly with the gentleness in his voice, bright eyes, and awkward mannerisms. That was actually the thing that made the most sense about this situation; bikers are often secret teddy bears.
“... Jason?”
He looked up at me, one hand sheepishly making its way into his hair. “Yeah, sorry, you want me to go. I'll get them to stop harassing you, so sorry-”
“Actually, I was going to say you don't have to stand the whole time.” I gestured to the chair across from me.
He hesitated, watching me. “... Y- you don't want me to go?”
I smiled softly and shook my head. “Sit?”
He quickly obeyed, a hesitant smile on his face, which was almost immediately hidden by his hand when his brothers whooped from their table. “... God, I'm so sorry … th- they mean well, really, they're not trying to be weird …”
I laughed softly, “it's fine, that's what siblings do, right?”
“... I guess so … I've been sort of … away for a while, but I guess this is pretty standard sibling behavior. … Right?”
“I mean, a little more insistent than mine, but not too far outside the realm of what I’d consider normal.” I shrugged, finishing my chai latte.
He smiled slightly, considering that. “... Hm … um … c- can I get you another?” He gestured to my cup.
“... Sure, I've got time.”
The pleased grin on his face as he looked away to flag down a server surprised me. Then again, everything about him was surprising. Still, no one had ever looked at me quite like that before…
The server sauntered over, clearly curious about my new companion. Jason smiled brightly; “Hi, can we get another for the lady? And I'll have a medium black coffee, sweet, please.”
Huh. He called me a ‘lady’. Not a girl, or a chick, a lady. That was … also surprising. We chatted for a little while, sipping our coffees, and tried to ignore his staring brothers. He was incredibly awkward, in a sweet, endearing way. I got the impression that he wasn't fully comfortable, but chalked it up to how weirdly this all started. After a while, the first one returned, a small grimace on his face.
I raised an eyebrow; “I'm pretty sure I told the little one that the next one of you to come over was getting stabbed.”
“I know, I know! I'm so sorry, but Jay, we gotta go. Bruce texted…”
That was when it clicked; why I knew the name Jason Todd. He was a Wayne … his death had dominated the news cycle for a week. His miraculous, frankly poorly explained, return was the story for at least two.
He looked, torn, between me and his brother. “Oh … um …”
The man I finally recognized as Dick Grayson leaned forward and fake-whispered, “the words you're looking for are ‘can I have your phone number'?”
Jason swatted him away, blushing bright red; “Seriously, Dick? … well, can I-”
His ears were turning red as I held my hand out for his phone. I added my contact info and, feeling unusually bold, I added ☕💖 after my name while Jason dropped a couple of bills on the table; I smiled a bit, realizing he was leaving enough to cover my first drink for me too. I passed his phone back, enjoying the look of wonder on his face when he checked the screen. The way he whispered my name, like a prayer meant only for god's ears, had my stomach doing backflips.
“thanks … I'll call you?”
“Sounds good. I'm a night owl, so not too early, yeah?”
"(Y/n)! Robin! The swimming area that Usopp has been preparing is ready for us!" Nami announced excitedly.
"Woop! I want to jump into the water NOW! Just gotta get these pants off- Come on clothes, work with me!" you grumbled while you were removing your clothes in a hurry.
Robin smiled and removed her big summerhat, wiping sweat off her forehead. You and Nami threw your clothes in a pile on the deck, revealing the swimsuits you were wearing underneath. Robin was not slow to undress either. All three of you were hungry for refreshing dip into the ocean.
In the sea there was an area that was surrounded by a floating fence that was attached to the ship. That was the swimming area. Soon the three of you were climbing down the ladder and jumping into the water.
"Waah! This is so nice!" Nami sighed and smiled cheerfully, floating in the sea with her head above water.
"What is that under the water? Is that a giant sea creature swimming towards us with their mouth open?" Robin wondered.
"WHERE?! OH MY GOD, WHERE?!" Nami screamed and jumped on Robin's shoulders, making Robin sink under water.
"Where is it?! Where?!" you questioned, scanning your surroundings in serious fear. Suddenly swimming didn't feel like such a good idea.
Robin pushed Nami off her shoulders and emerged from under the sea, coughing to get the water out of her throat before she put your worries to rest.
"I was tricking you. There is no sea creature", she admitted.
"What?! I can't believe I fell for that! Damn it, Robin! I'm gonna get you back for that!" Nami declared.
"Good job almost drowning her, Nami", you joked as a soft retaliation towards Robin.
Nami laughed and Robin grinned mischievously. You joined in the laughter and leaned back, feeling the ocean under you like a giant pillow.
"I wish we had brought some floaties down with us", Nami said and pouted.
"Got it", Robin said and gestured with her hand. Soon a bunch of extra-hands that were created by her Devil-Fruit-ability tossed a couple of floaties and floating parasols from the deck down to you.
You clapped your hands cheerfully in applause and thanked Robin. After the beginning shenanigans the three of you settled on the floaties, enjoying the cool water and the warm sun.
Suddenly you heard Sanji's voice shout from the deck.
"Thank you for blessing my eyes, my lovely ladies! It is true that devastating beauty is difficult to describe in words, so I describe the way you look in this moment, flaunting your hypnotizing looks, with just three words! Dreamy! Otherworldly! Inspiring! *long romantic sigh* Are you enjoying the swimming area that Usopp made for you?"
"We are! Thanks Usopp!" Nami shouted.
"You are welcome!" Usopp exclaimed cheerfully. "Maybe I'll join you! I'm almost ready with fixing the lifeboat!"
"I wanna swim too! I have my new duck floatie!" Luffy piped in.
"Me too! Me too!" Chopper exclaimed.
"No you won't, you ruffians!! Let the ladies relax and enjoy their moment of peace! Wait for your turn!" Sanji barked in fury.
"Hey! Not fair!" Luffy protested.
"Would you like me to keep these hooligans in check until you are ready to come out of the pool, my beautiful butterflies?" Sanji asked with a cheery smile.
You looked at Nami and Robin. You had catched Nami smiling softly when Sanji had forbidden Luffy and the others from ruining the peaceful moment you girls were having. Robin seemed to be also smiling in appreciation for Sanji.
You smiled. It didn't happen very often, but sometimes the girls liked to do something nice for Sanji. He deserved it.
You on the other hand... You did something nice for Sanji every day. How could you not? It was more like a mutual thing. Things couldn't have gone better with Sanji, you thought to yourself.
You had developed a habit of relaxing together with Sanji on the deck. It meant embracing each other, laying on top of each other, being close to each other. It was wonderful, very comforting, your moment of relaxation and happiness in the middle of your day.
It was simple. Not much to explain. You weren't dating. Sanji adored you, but didn't pursue a romantic relationship with you. You had told to him in the beginning that you were confused about how to interact with people in general. You had been aware that he was actively searching for a romantic partner, so you wanted to make sure that he understood that dating was unimaginable for you. He told you that he would accept you. You told him that you thought he was cool and you wanted to depend on him. Not date him, depend on him. And get to know him. He smiled and told you that you were always welcome to approach him.
Soon you added another thing in the things you wanted. You wanted to be close to him. And so you seeked him out more. At some point you started relaxing on the deck together in each others embrace.
He was not your boyfriend. He was your cool, charming, dependable crewmate. He didn't mind that you depended on him. He depended on you too. He let you help him in the kitchen. Sometimes he came to you, asking to hug you or lay on top off your body on the deck if you were already relaxing there. Sometimes at the same time while cuddling you he grumbled about Zoro, or cried about how Nami or Robin had rejected him. That was one thing that you could offer him. You could be somebody that wanted to cuddle with him and listen to him. He obviously appreciated all women and adored most of them, but you were the only one who let him be close to you often. So close that he could feel you in his arms for those long moments. His cute darling. He really appreciated you. Romantic or no.
"It's not a bother at all, I can keep these clowns away from your wonderful circle of goddesses as long as you want- " Sanji added while waiting for your answer.
"You don't need to do that", you hurried to interrupt him and added in a happy voice. "Why don't you come down here with us, Sanji? Come swim with us."
"You want me to- Seriously? But then I won't be able to keep these guys away- " Sanji asked, looking like he was in awe and disbelief.
"It's okay. Just come down here", you said cheerfully, looking at Nami and Robin. They looked back at you, smiling in agreement.
"Oh man! I'll be down in a second! Wait for me, ladies!" Sanji gushed from excitement and started to remove his clothes.
Usopp, Luffy and Chopper also took off their clothes, but they could not beat Sanji in the speed it took the cook to strip down into his underwear and jump into the ocean.
There was a big splash of water as Sanji landed in front of you in water. You cheered and threw your hands in the air, joining him in his display of joy.
"(Y/n)-chan! Can I spin you?" Sanji asked eagerly.
You nodded in delight and Sanji quickly looped his arms around your lower back, spinning you around in the water. He watched you with a big adoring smile and that smile widened when you started laughing. You laughed loudly and wildly, grabbing Sanji's shoulders to center yourself as he spun you around in excitement.
"This is like a dream!" Sanji spoke with happiness after he stopped spinning you around. "You look so pretty like a fairy on a flower and Nami-chan and Robin-san look like sparkling mermaids! I can't believe it! Thank you for calling me down here!"
You giggled. Sanji was glancing at Nami and Robin, flabbergasted by their charms. You smiled. Maybe he could have a nice talk with Nami or Robin today, or maybe even get a date with one of them.
Luffy, Usopp and Chopper jumped down in a chorus of loud and happy shouts. It looked like they had brought a volleyball with them. You detached yourself subtly from Sanji's arms, smiling at him.
"Nami and Robin agreed with me to invite you down here. Because you are great. Go talk with them if you want, I'm gonna play some volleyball", you said to Sanji, touching his shoulder in appreciation. Then you left him behind as you approached Luffy, Usopp and Chopper.
Sanji listened to your compliment and his eyes widened. Did you really appreciate him this much? He was unprepared for your boldness, but he felt happy and warm inside.
Then you told him to go flirt, leaving him behind as you approached the unruly boys.
"Yeah... Yeah! I think I will! Thanks!" Sanji managed to say before you left, his smile widening. He looked at Nami and Robin, feeling excited.
He was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.
Summary: After getting a terrible grade on your Charms essay, you finally gather enough courage to ask Remus to tutor you, but your much worse at Charms than he thought.
Warnings: Light swearing
Masterlist
Part 2; Part 3
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.: :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.: :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ
Dreadful… of course, you got a Dreadful for your Charms essay, you could hardly ever perform the incantations correctly, much less perform the spells, every time you tried to cast a spell you saw Professor Flitwick’s eyes go wide in fear.
You can feel his pitiful gaze on you and avoid his eyes, instead, you look around the classroom, your gaze landing upon Remus Lupin, chatting wildly with his hands as he talks to Lily. The redhead was eagerly nodding along and you smiled subconsciously at how excited Remus was, if only you were half as good at Charms as he was, perhaps you would get an Acceptable or maybe even an Outstanding. You were pretty sure he got an Outstanding for every single subject, Merlin, he was amazing in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, DADA, everything. To top it all off he was a prefect, the model student, the child every parent wishes they had, but behind the fake smiles he gave to all his Professors, he had a sharp tongue, a sharp wit about him with a knack for planning very intricate pranks.
“Ahem-“Professor Flitwick clears his throat and softly says your name as he stops at your table. “May we have a word after class? I need to speak to you about something important,” he asked quietly over the loud murmuring of students and you nodded. “Right then!” He says as he walks on over to the front of the classroom. ”On with the lesson, today we’ll be learning about-” Professor Flitwick’s voice droned on and your mind wandered. You looked back over to where Remus sat, only to find him looking at you, he offered a small smile and turned his attention back to Flitwick. Goodness, he was perfect, pretty eyes, a pretty face too, pretty messy brown hair, and scars that littered his body, even when having to occasionally walk with a cane he was majestic.
The clocktower bell rang and suddenly all the students began packing away their belongings, rushing to be the first out of class so that they could arrive at lunch first. You stood up and waited for most students to leave and then approached Professor Flitwick. “You wanted to speak to me professor?” you asked timidly, “Ah, yes!” He says with a warm smile, ”You see I’ve noticed that you’re starting to struggle with Charms more than usual. I would never want one of my students to struggle, as much as I would love to help you myself I’m much too busy so I thought you could try asking one of your classmates to help you. We have many students who are amazing at Charms, like perhaps Miss Evans, Miss Meadowes, Mr. Potter or maybe even Mr. Lupin. I wouldn’t want you to fail the year just because of one class, especially not when I can do something about it.” he said warmly and you nodded. “Now off you go, go enjoy lunch, I heard we’re getting some pie!” he says happily and you grab your belongings and leave the classroom.
Failing Charms… you sigh, you couldn’t fail Charms, what type of witch or wizard fails Charms? But who would ask for help? Dorcas? No, you barely know her. Lily? You sigh, also no… you’ve only briefly exchanged smiles in the hall. James… you’d rather not. That only leaves Remus, awkward but very good-looking Remus, the same Remus that makes you stumble over your words like an idiot. You would most definitely embarrass yourself in front of him. That wouldn’t end well… but you desperately needed help and he was amazing at Charms. Fine, you would ask for him to tutor you.
Walking down towards the Great Hall, you spot Lily, Mary and Remus all talking. You take a deep breath, this is it, you speed up a bit, trying to catch up with them. Over the chatting of students, you can very clearly hear Lily complaining about something James said to her. “Remus?” you ask quietly once you are close enough, Lily abruptly stops her story and gives you a small smile as all three turn to face you. “Could I talk to you privately? Just for a second it won’t take long, I promise,” you ramble and he nods, waving bye to Lily and Mary as they walk away.
“I was just wondering since I know you always do amazing in Charms, if there was any way that you would help tutor me? Just this once!” you add nervously, your cheeks a soft red colour. You were too nervous to meet his eyes but you could feel his hand on your shoulder, he gave it a soft squeeze and he nodded, “Of course, I’ll tutor you, why wouldn’t I?” He asks with a warm smile, but you didn’t miss the faint pink colour of his ears. “Would this Saturday be fine? At around ten thirty at the Library?” He proposed, you felt like you couldn’t speak so you just awkwardly nodded and then excused yourself to go have lunch, leaving him alone. Curse your awkwardness, you finally speak to him and all you can get out is a bit of rambling and a nod then you run off like a coward.
Early Saturday morning comes and it’s a perfect day, it was softly raining outside, covering the Scottish mountains in a thick layer of mist. Most of your roommates had left already, but you had slept in a bit, since you were tired from staying up late last night practicing some spells, hoping to get some of them right to impress Remus, but it took longer than you would like to admit and still you were embarrassingly horrible at all of them. Yawning you look at the clock on your bedside table.
Shit.
Oh shit.
You scrambled out of bed, it was almost 10 am, and you not only missed breakfast but at this point, you were gonna be late for your study date- no, study session with Remus! You hurriedly dress, trying to at least pick a somewhat decent outfit, you still want to look nice for your study session. As you finish you quickly grab your wand and Charms textbooks and take off running.
You were running as quickly as you could, trying to avoid as many teachers and prefects as to not get told off for running in the halls. You reach the castle kitchens and tickle the pear on the painting and it swings open, revealing the kitchens that were filled with many house elves now starting to prepare lunch, you grab some breakfast for yourself as well as a sweet treat for Remus, or well sweet treats, since there were so many options and you couldn’t decide what to pick. You hoped this would make up for being late and you leave in a hurry and nearly sprint to the library.
Heaving you reach the library and open the giant doors, your senses as flooded with the scent of old books, many students are lounging about, reading a book or studying. You scan the library hoping to find Remus, but you can’t seem to find him. You start walking through the library to try and find him and after a bit of searching you find him at one of the tables in the far back corner of the library, one where you have a perfect view of the bits of sunrays highlighting his features, wait no, you meant where you could perfectly see the beautiful autumn landscape and hear the soft rain.
Clearing your throat you walk closer, he looks up and smiles at you. He was wearing one of his classic sweaters, that highlighted his face so well, and his hair was unruly but he looked perfect in your eyes, you could stare at him forever- Remus awkwardly clears his throat and your cheeks go red, damn it, he caught you staring, hopefully, you could play the flush off as the cold.
“I am so sorry I’m late! I overslept and missed breakfast and had to run to the kitchens all while trying to avoid any teachers and-“ you ramble, trying to explain yourself hoping that he wouldn’t be too upset with your tardiness but you were cut off by a soft chuckle coming from him. “It’s okay don’t even worry about it, I was actually worried I was gonna be the late one. I had to help the boys with something last minute and well, it took longer than expected,” he says kindly and accepts the sweet treat you offer to him. “Another prank?” you ask, hoping to make small talk to make this less awkward. He merely shrugs and gives a mischievous smile, you narrow your eyes at him but decide not to bug him about it. You take out the sweet treats you got him and give them to him and his eyes light up slightly, “For being late,” you say hurriedly. He lets out a chuckle and reaches for one, and for a brief moment his scarred hand meets yours and you could swear the world stopped. Your breath hitches and your heart starts pounding and you pull your hand away.
Sitting down you take out your textbooks, you take a deep breath to calm down, but Remus looks unfazed. “So what do you need help with, any spell in specific or just overall?” he inquires as he takes out his wand, you sigh “Just… everything really, I’m really bad at Charms for some reason. Can’t get the stupid spells to work right!” You complain and he listens carefully nodding as you speak. Why did he have to be such an attentive listener, he’s making it very hard for you to speak properly.
“How about we start with something simple then? What about Descendo?” he asks while you flip to the page containing the spell, taking a deep breath, “Descendo!” You say confidently and a faint blue light comes out of your wand and hits a bookshelf, causing all the books to come flying off the shelves and hitting the ground with a large thud. You go red and sink into your seat, wanting to disappear as Remus softly chuckles and you look across the room to meet the angry glare of Madam Pince. Remus being as sweet as ever quickly waves his wand and all the books levitate to their original position. “Sorry,” you say quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. “Nothing a bit of practice can’t fix,” he insisted warmly.
You and Remus spent the next two hours, working on many different spells, also telling a few jokes and stories in between, the hours flew by and you were dreading having to say goodbye. “Can I try one last Charm? Professor Flitwick said we should study up on this one,” you show him the spell you are referring to in your textbook. “Disillusionment Charm? Of course, but it’s quite tricky to perform,” he cautioned. He quickly performed the spell, causing himself to almost completely disappear, you could only notice his outline if you looked hard enough and then he transformed himself back. “Hard you say? How come you can do it perfectly then?” you tease. “Had some practice with the spell, very useful for sneaking around when you should be in bed.” he shrugs with a smile.
Taking a breath and focusing you quickly perform the spell, the white light coming out of your wand hit the table and went rogue, bouncing off the walls and finally hitting a fourth-year student’s head. In an instant their head disappeared, their friends gasped and started freaking out and screaming, and your eyes went wide. Looking to Remus he was toppled over the table laughing, and that was enough to ease your nerves and you soon joined in on laughing.
“Out! Out of my library! Now!” Madam Pince’s shrilly voice booms. While laughing you had missed the angry glare of Madam Pince and you hadn’t noticed her stalking her way towards you. Looking up at the sound of her voice, you look to Remus and you both quickly grab your belongings and leave the library still giggling about the situation.
Once the library was out of sight and you both had calmed down you turned to him, looking up at him and noticing the small smile he had on his face. “Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it!” he only nods and then starts speaking, “When are you available again?” You frown at his words and he must notice your puzzled expression because he starts explaining again, “I still need to help you with the Disillusionment charm, and we haven’t practiced all the spells yet,” his ears were turning a faint red colour. “Next Saturday? Same time?” you asked and he nodded. “Sounds good,” he assured and you smiled back, and in a haze of confidence you leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, his eyes widened and his ears went redder. “I’ll see you later then.” You say and quickly walk away from him, cheeks flushed, surprised at your own confidence but giddy at the prospect of another study session with him.
Reader who’s so cool. Always so calm and collected always knowing what to do or to say. People either wanna be your friend or be you. They ask how you always stay so level headed and you’re confused because ..you’re a mess. Okay maybe not a mess but it feels like it. You’re just really self aware. You overthink and second guess everything.
‘Should I say this or that?’
‘oh god do I look stupid?’
‘I bet I look so awkward right now’
‘oh god they’re staring where’s my phone?’
‘Does my face look weird?’
It gets so exhausting. It feels your brain runs 24/7 just so you’d don’t come across as awkward or weird :(
The reader is VERY awkward and is afraid of Brassius rejecting their attempts at getting closer to him. Watch as they catastrophize basic interactions and almost reject themselves!
Reader is gender neutral and a HUGE softie for Brassius. Also, no language will hint at your appearance, the closest being the mention/hinting at that you're an adult.
No mention of what your Pokémon is/are, but you have at least one. Could be a whole team, though!
Tone/Ending: Slight Angst, Wholesome, Open-ended (Brassius is already fond of you, and you two finally talk as friends instead of just fellow fans of Pokémon and the art world. Reader has B A G G A G E relating to not fitting in with the norm/people finding them weird, and Brassius is slightly more vulnerable than usual. Can be seen as platonic or the start of romance)
Warnings: None other than a very socially awkward reader who seems to flip-flop on their confidence in themselves. Also, first fanfic in, like, YEARS, so this is more to warm myself up some #brassiushasmeinachokehold
Words: Somewhere around 6,000
-*-
You watch from afar as the man wildly paces in front of the Artazon Gym. You were thoroughly acquainted with the spiky-haired sculptor, having beaten his gym a while ago, but you still occasionally checked back in to view his latest pieces.
Truth be told, his art fascinated you. Sure, it was very... as he'd put it before, "avant-garde," but it really did tickle your brain in a way you couldn't quite put your finger on. You had always wondered what went through his mind whenever inspiration struck, but apparently, right now, it was a lot.
You took a deep breath before finally taking a few steps forward, wishing to calm the man down and lessen the burden of, well, whatever he was fighting himself on at the moment. You couldn't help but consider that maybe this was just a part of the process. But then again, he seemed truly stumped, even adding a stray hand gesture toward the sky from time to time as he vaguely mouthed something. Was he mumbling? Was he trying to sort something important out? Was he almost done with this "ritual" of sorts? Oh Gods, what if you ended up ruining his flow? You didn't want to be the reason he fell into another depression.
You try to turn back when suddenly, you hear your name called. Freezing in place, you turn back to see him. He was still in the same position he was when you started to make your leave, as if he'd stopped in his tracks, but his head was tilted towards you, an unmistakable smile plastered on his face. You even saw a bit of teeth in that grin.
"Oh! Afternoon, Brassius! I... uh, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I was just checking back in on the local art scene... y'know..."
You make an awkward hand movement similar to jazz hands that doesn't actually convey anything discernable. Brassius, however, seems to fully understand, sitting up straight(er) and turning his entire body as he strode over to fully greet you.
"Ah, yes, another one of your art tours! I do look forward to these, I appreciate someone who wishes to fully feel the art they're consuming."
You made a small "ah-" noise, caught off guard by his casual confession. He looked forward to seeing you? Like, specifically you?? He didn't seem nervous at all saying it, so you decided to lock that thought away.
"Yeah! I do, um, like, doing that? Um-"
You looked towards the ground, realizing you were too distracted to properly take in and respond to what he said. You really analyzed every little thing this man did, didn't you?
"I-I'm sorry, sir. My mind has been all over the place today."
His smile faltered and fell for a split second. So fast, you didn't even notice as you looked back up at him. But a softer smile replaced his previous beam. He placed his right hand under his chin in deep thought, fidgeting with the whip on his side with the other, something he seemed to do a lot.
"Ah, do not apologize for a racing mind! It was not meant to be restrained. We're all searching for meaning in this big, mysterious world of ours, whether it is through discovery, creativity, or even simply sorting through feelings from within."
Your face felt a wave of warmth as you took in his words. You couldn't help but notice, again, that he seemed... softer? In his word choice there? You'd almost say he got that from Hassel, although you know this is something he personally deals with. Either way, you appreciated his comforting pearl of wisdom.
"Thanks, Brassius." you started, beaming back at him. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
-*-
You sat up the next morning, bleary-eyed and confused. 'What will today have to offer me?' You wondered to yourself as you stretched with a yawn, feeling your whole body shake a little from the unexpected intensity.
"Woah, Ok," you muttered to yourself, suddenly wide-eyed. You were certainly awake now.
After getting ready for the day, you decided to head out. But where? You were taking things slow during the Treasure Hunt. Something told you that letting the kids of the academy have their time in the spotlight would be nice. Plus, you really weren't sure what your treasure would even be. You hadn't really had a set dream even when applying for the academy the previous summer, and you still didn't have an idea of what to do once the fall semester started and you were already accepted.
But enough of those thoughts, this is a good chance to walk around, let your mind wander. Wherever your heart took you, you'd go, allowing it to take the lead.
-*-
"Ah." You said, looking up at the giant windmill of Artazon in the distance. Of course. 'At this point, it's probably just because it's so close by comparison.' You assume.
You walked forward, glancing around at your surroundings. You see a man ordering toppings at Deli Cioso, an older couple walking along the pathway in the upper part of town, and a little girl staring up at one of the Surrendering Sunflora statues at the entrance with her companion, a Shroomish, but other than that...
You sigh.
Wait, what were you expecting to see...? Ah well, better keep wandering.
As you walked around, you heard hushed whispers. You couldn't help but wonder if it's gossip. Brassius did seem rather preoccupied yesterday. Perhaps he's in the throughs of inspiration? Like, 'Stay up until 3am and wake up at 6 am' type of inspiration? The type that keeps you going no matter what nature or Dialga has to say about it? Yeah. You couldn't help but shake your head at the thought, although an amused smirk crept onto your face as you did so.
You jogged up the stairs again. Mindlessly wandering around Artazon certainly didn't give you career ideas, but it did work up an appetite. You started to make your way over to the Artisan Bakery, craving a jam and cream cheese sandwhich for you and your Pokémon. As you briskly sprinted across town, however, you heard a yelp. This caused you to flinch mid-stride as you stood on the stairs, head whipping around to see what you did wrong.
"Oh no, I'm sorry! L-lemme help you!"
You had awkwardly turned around several times at this point before spotting a man on a bench, who had been staring wide-eyed in your direction. It was him. Your panic was gradually replaced with confusion, however, as he seemed mortified by your presence, even though you didn't do anything... you think? You squinted and tilted your head at him.
"...Brassius?"
His eyes remained wide, breathing still catching up with him, but his posture loosened up quite a bit all at once. His eyelids drooped again as he seemed to gather the courage to speak up, although he dared not make eye contact.
"Ah, I... do apologize, I simply... well, in truth, I truly was not expecting to see you again so soon..."
His eyes were focused on the ground now, shyly looking away. It was then that you realized he was clutching a sketchbook close to his stomach. Oh?? That's certainly interesting, especially since he seemed... so...
Oh, Gods. Would he rather you not be here??
"Oh, I'm sorry! Really, I am! I didn't realize you- I mean, you seem to- I-I'll get out of your hair if-"
"No, no, you are fine, I was ju-"
Suddenly, he grimaced, clutching his stomach. You held your hands up to your ears, yelling in sheer panic, wondering if you had somehow caused this.
"OH! OH NO!! WHAT DID I DO?!? "
"No- nothing, nothing! I- I forgot to eat breakfast this morning," he groaned. "That is all. Do not fret over me. This happens a lot."
You suddenly calmed down, hands slowly lowering before floping down, awkwardly hanging by your sides after momentarily swinging.
"...oh..."
The two of you stared at each other for a good three seconds before you suddenly remembered: 'Oh, hey! I'm hungry, too!'
"Oh, hey! I'm hungry, too!" You said, suddenly beaming as if you didn't just condemn yourself to the 'he hates me and never wants to see me again' zone. Before he could respond, you started back on your journey to Artisan Bakery, but not before asking him to stay put.
"Oh yeah, don't move! I'll be back, I just gotta get some ingredients!"
"But-"
And just like that, you headed off.
-*-
You jogged back to the bench. To your (only mild) surprise, Brassius was still there, although he seemed to angrily mutter a bit to himself, teeth clenched, madly sketching something in his book, which was only cracked open. You wondered what secrets or plans he was guarding, but decided it wasn't your place to ask. Instead, you proudly whipped your backpack to your front, opening it as you walked towards him. He suddenly looked up, scowl upturned the instant he made eye contact.
"Ah! You have returned!"
He snapped his book shut as he said this, face looking oddly neutral, with an undercurrent of enthusiasm.
"Yep! Sorry about the wait. I got a LOT of stuff, cause uhhh, I realized I don't know what it is you... like, actually? So uhh, come with me! We can have a picnic!"
His mind seemed to suddenly go blank, staring at you with a peculiar expression you couldn't quite place. It was certainly a look you hadn't seen from him in quite a while, although you were only really sorta-friends.
"A... a what?? "
"A picnic! Y'know, a taste of that Paldean culture?" You made another weird hand gesture, continuing to make more as you explained your reasoning. "Spreading your stuff out, relaxing outdoors, letting your Pokémon roam free? That way, we can make whatever we like without worrying about getting in anyone's way!"
His face has barely wavered at this point, perhaps the corner of his mouth twitching a little as his gaze quickly darts away and back.
"Plus, you could use a break." You nodded as you said the next bit. "I can tell."
You stared right back at him, awaiting his answer. He seemed... bewildered by your sudden word-avalanche, eyes lightly darting around your face. You could almost see a light dusting of pink on his cheeks as he glanced between you, the ground, and the sketchbook in his lap. Suddenly, a guilty panic settled into your chest.
"Uh- only if you wanna come! Of course? It's really up to you, you know. I don't wanna disturb you or your work or anything."
The look in his eyes finally faded as he loosened the tension he didn't even feel in his limbs. He sighed, worrying you, until suddenly-
"Of course I would." He stands up with a small grunt. "Who am I to turn down such a kind and spontaneous offer?"
He smiles warmly at you, causing your stomach to flip.
"Hahhhhhhhhhhhh, Ok! Let's, um, go to... uhhhhhh..."
You had pressed your hands together as if praying, resting your chin on the tips of your middle and ring fingers as you not-so silently thought to yourself, although Brassius felt the need to butt-in.
"I know just the spot, my hierochloe."
-*-
Of course Brassius would know of a quiet little field to sit in. You had set up a simple picnic, no table, not wanting to take up too much of his time despite deeply enjoying his presence. He was sitting, eyes wandering around at the scenery and his Pokémon interacting with your own as you shuffled around on your knees. His eyes would occasionally come to a rest on you before briskly looking around at everything that caught his eye again. You had just laid the ingredients out in front of him, letting him take his pick. You had even splurged with your league points, getting stuff from Deli Cioso and Sure Cans, thus giving him more variety, although you wouldn't admit to doing that.
"Whatever you want, I'll make! No matter the combo!"
Brassius glanced up at you for a moment before looking back down. He decided to go for a cheese sandwhich, but with the kick of jalapeños, pointing to every ingredient without a word.
"Huh. Neat! Ok, I'll make it for ya, just gimme a sec, Ok?"
You were looking at him through an 'Ok' hand, one eye closed to make it easier. He seemed mildly amused by this, a light chuckle emanating from him, although he then proceeded to abruptly stop himself and turn away. You were slightly disappointed, but you went off to do your thing.
It had been about a minute or so of an oddly comfortable silence, but then-
"TA-DAAAAA!"
He turned his head, although his body stayed facing away. He looked at the sandwhich he was presented with, eyes widening with delight.
"Oh my, you! You have an eye for design!"
"Huh?"
You tilted your head back slightly as he took the sandwich, staring at it with glee.
"Yes, the way you arranged everything, this precise cut, the pick choice!"
He pointed at the green pick you skewered through one half of the sandwhich, specifically chosen for him, although again, you wouldn't admit to that.
"Yes, everything came together to form a beautifully cohesive work of culinary art. I even dare say, I feel almost guilty knowing I will have to devour it!"
You were smiling uncontrollably, but you didn't realize it. It just came so naturally, hearing him gush about the artistic vision you had while laying jalapeños on top of cheese and avocado. He sees the beauty in everything, it seems. You can't help but idly wonder how he views you...
-*-
It was nighttime in Artazon. The lights of the town illuminated the area in a way that really made you wish you came here after dark more often, or perhaps even stayed here for a bit? Either way, the idea of heading back to the academy seemed to quickly fade from your mind. You wandered around, enjoying the serene sounds of nature all around you, when suddenly-
"No, no, NO! This simply will not do!"
You turned. You can hear a commotion near the pool from here, which is where you caught a glimpse of the man that seems to plague your mind.
Curiosity struck, and you found yourself quietly approaching the situation. You paused when you were able to hear an exasperated sigh.
"This color. It does not even BEGIN to match the hue of their uniform..."
Hold up. Uniform?
"Nooooo... AHHHHHHH! "
He practically fell to his knees in anguish as he crouched next to the pool. He seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds when suddenly, an idea struck.
"Oh, I know! I shall choose a color that captures a feeling instead! Yes, yes, I must write down how I feel..."
He shuffled over to his stuff, holding his sketchbook and scribbling down some notes while muttering to himself. You noted his voice seemed to waver at that last part. How he feels? About what? And why was a uniform so important to this piece?
You snuck closer, this time being unashamed in your interest, when suddenly-
"UHP-"
You didn't notice the incline leading to the pool was right there, too focused on seeing if he noticed you. You slipped down. It wasn't a terribly tall slope, but the top was probably around your height. Plus, falling on concrete? You lied there on the ground for a few moments, trying to figure out what went wrong when you hear your name called out.
"M-my goodness! That was quite a tumble, y-your form was simply dreadful! Are you feeling alright? Was your vision something more graceful?"
You rolled over onto your side, looking up at his worried face. He truly did look panicked.
"Yeah! Yeah, I-I'm fine..."
You stared up at him. His eyes somehow managed to widen even more as his frown softened. You let yourself roll back over onto your face, a small muffled laugh sounding out.
"Sorry for scaring you like that, sir. I was just wondering what you were up to, no crazy feats were attempted by me, no siree!"
"Oh..." He said, voice sounding oddly dejected, although you weren't able to see the face he made. "If you wished to get a look at my creative process, you really could have asked me. You know I love sharing the world of art with you."
That line made your stomach flutter. 'You're in too deep...' A small part of you said. But another part of you thought 'screw it! Let those Vivillon fly free!'
"Uh, actually, that'd be really nice." You abruptly said, finally rolling over again. So abrupt, actually, that you didn't even register what actually came out of your mouth until the silence kicked in. He was staring down at you, mouth turned up in a weird sorta half-smile and eyes showing a... fear?
You were mortified, lying on the ground, having taken an offer that may have been extended out of pity. There go those insecurities again...
"Well, actually, never mind, I kinda... um, I uh, I gotta..."
You quickly looked away, not wanting him to see your eyes well up with tears. The silence was getting to you. He was always oddly quiet around you. It seemed like he just went through the motions of your visits. So, in a panic, you got up and ran off down the path, ignoring his confused calls of your name.
-*-
It had been a few weeks since you last visited Artazon. You've heard through the grepavine that Brassius has been acting... stranger than normal. As much as you tried to avoid thinking about him, you couldn't help but wonder why. Was this a normal 'working on an intense project' strange or 'my personal life is imploding on me please send help' type of behavior? Truthfully, you kind of wanted to head over there and ask around to see if anyone knows why. After all, he is your sorta-friend. You wanna be there for him despite the pain of rejection. So, you got out of bed, gave yourself a... series of pep-talks, and headed out to Artazon.
-*-
One flight later, there was an immediately tense feeling in the air. It was hard to describe, but you could tell the vibes were off. Everyone was going about their days as normal, but something just felt... weird. You reluctantly made your way over to the Artazon Gym, where he seemed to be pacing yet again. This time, however, he didn't seem to be preoccupied with thoughts of art. Instead, he seemed contemplative, almost crestfallen as he half-heartedly walked up and down the front of the building. You freeze, not wanting to get any closer for some reason.
You hear him muttering angrily to himself, something you, again, noticed he does sometimes. But this time, it was more resentful than frustrated.
"...no, no, this... this will not do..." He said quietly. He made a frustrated grunting noise as he stomped once, fists clenched as he shook lightly.
"...this won't do at all..." He roughly lamented in a shakey sing-songy voice. Through gritted teeth, shaking his head while facing the ground, he roughly threw his arms down to his sides, his frame never ceasing to tremble.
His eyes... you were kind of afraid of what tale they'd tell right now. What has he gone through these past few... however long it took to get to this point? You looked around, wondering if anyone else was seeing his breakdown, but nobody seemed very bothered.
'Who the heck keeps gossiping if nobody's paying attention? Why didn't they get him help?' You thought to yourself before turning back towards him.
When you looked over, he was gone.
-*-
"BRAAAAASSIUUUUUS! HEY, BRASSIUS? WHERE ARE YOU!?"
You didn't want to resort to yelling, but he was nowhere to be found even 20 minutes later. He was... surprisingly nimble considering his fluctuating health, but then again, he made a grand entrance from atop a windmill every time he held a gym battle, so...
You walked through the gates of Sunflora Lawn yet again. Nope, nowhere in or around there either. What would compel him to just bolt like this? And where to?? There were three areas surrounding Artazon that had grassy terrain, although you weren't sure he'd go for any of them. This honestly reminded you of your gym test, if said gym test was to find a singular angry Bramblin instead of 10 Sunflora.
The breeze was light and warm, complimenting the beautiful sunshine that shone brightly, yet not too hot. It was such an amazing day out, yet frustration was all you could really feel. You debated just storming upstairs inside the gym building to see if he simply went home when you heard a small, shuddering wail.
You weren't sure what it was at first, stopping in your tracks at the noise. You stood there for a second, waiting to hear it again when someone jogged out of the Artazon Gym doors.
"Oh!" She paused at the sight of you before whispering something under her breath and changing her path to come to you. "Hey there!"
She seemed relieved to see you.
"Um, h-hi??"
You broadly waved as she jogged over to you. You could now recognize her as the lady that usually tended to the Sunflora Lawn. You thought it was weird that nobody was there.
"You! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!" She smiled, the largest grin you'd even seen (on someone that isn't Brassius) on her face. "Brassius, that poor guy, he could definitely use your reassurance right now.
You stared at her, wondering what she meant.
"Rea... surr...ance??"
You blinked twice. It was at this point that you heard another odd, strangled sob. Was it coming from behind the gym itself??
"You hear him? He's been inconsolable the past few days, saying 'his inspiration has left him'. I think it has to do with you, trainer."
You jump back in shock, hands up defensively.
"ME? WHAT DID I DO?? "
She waved her hands slightly, an indication that it isn't like that at all. You listen.
"Hey, no, don't panic! You yourself didn't do anything, it's just that... well, the man has grown attached to you."
Your eyes widen. She continues.
"When you didn't come back around for your usual art tours, he... well... he lost all motivation to work on his current project, and he doesn't know what to do next."
You immediately felt a rush of guilt course through you. You... caused this?
"I... I'm sorry!" You cried. "I didn't mean to hurt him! I-I thought he didn't want me around anymore! Nobody ever wants me around!"
At this point, tears were threatening to spill from your eyes. She looked on at you, feeling sorry for you.
"Aww..." She walks over to console you. "I doubt that's really the case. I can't help but feel the relaxed aura you emit whenever you come by. You have a very welcoming presence, you know!"
You looked up, wiping tears from your eyes.
"Y... huh??"
"Yeah," she responded in a soft tone. "He very much notices that too. That's why he likes going deeper into his works with you." She looks away. "Well, part of why."
"Huh?"
You were fully invested in the conversation now. She came closer.
"Do you mind if I lean in? I need to tell you something that's kind of a secret between him and the staff."
You panicked, wondering if something would happen to her if she told you.
"Oh! Uhhh, th-th-that's OK, ma'am! I don't need to, um, know his secrets or anything..."
You looked down at the ground, nervous due to rejecting her. You really did just want to make sure he was OK. She smiled.
"Ah, that's quite alright. It may be best if you simply talked to him, though. Want me to show you where he is?"
-*-
It was truly a sight to behold. The man was behind the gym, sitting high up on a tree branch as he held on tight to the trunk of it, bawling loudly as if he had lost a loved one. He didn't notice you, too consumed with misery to notice either of you. The Sunflora Lawn attendant leaned in slightly.
"Best of luck! You've got a nack for calming him down."
Wait, what?
You turned, but she was already gone.
The people of Artazon sure do know how to make a wild entrance... and breezy exit.
This was sort of a big ask. You had no idea how to calm someone down, much less someone as... eccentric as Brassius. But, seeing as though this was technically your fault (at least in your mind), you decided to walk over. You tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but it was squished into the tree, as if he thought applying more pressure to himself would ease the pain.
You winced slightly. You wondered if his calloused hands helped the situation at all.
"Ok, Brassius?"
A sob was hitched in his throat.
"T-take a deep breath! Everything will be OK!"
You really had no idea what to say. Most of your friends were online, and you weren't much for watching overly-serious entertainment outside of shows with lore and angst. That being said, you tried to be there for him, imagining what you'd like to be told in this situation.
"Um... OK! So uh, I don't know what it is you're looking for! Truth be told, I'm... also... lost right now. BUT, I think if we talk things out, it may help? Get your feelings out there? O-only if you want. And, um..."
You looked down.
"I'm... sorry. For avoiding you like that."
You continue to look down, closing your eyes, not really expecting a response. You, however, wanted to wait a bit, instead of running off like last time.
The silence was oddly calm. The sense of dread you expected to feel was more like a grey veil than a tumultuous mess. He had even stopped his moans and cries when he first noticed your presence, but you weren't sure if it were a good or bad thing. Still, though, you decided to let fate seal the deal. Whatever he wanted, you'd do.
It took a few- Ok, quite a few moments, but eventually, you heard the rustling of leaves and the sound of someone landing nearby. You then heard some quiet footsteps make their way toward you, a gentle hand now resting on your shoulder. His voice was less shaky, but quiet, almost breaking into sound when he first hesitantly spoke up.
"Come with me, then, young trainer."
-*-
You made your way into his art studio, silently walking behind the man. He hadn't said anything this entire walk. However, he seemed... determined? You were always bad with words, but something intense was about to be said, you could feel it.
He opened the double doors that lead inside, and what you saw... both surprised you and didn't surprise you at all at the same time.
The room was very bright, with plants crawling up and down the pillars and walls. There were even plants on the ceilings, a feat you may need to ask him about later (if you were still on speaking terms by the end of this conversation, that is).
The room was as organized as one could get it when it came to his greenery, but his art stuff was, well, not, to put it lightly. Paint, clay, rock, you name it, it was probably splattered or crushed somewhere. Papers and plans galore were scattered across the floor and hanging on any surface he could find. You even spotted shattered glass and sand on the ground near the sinks...?? The only clear spaces were the mezzanine platforms. Was this a repurposed warehouse?
You saw a few small rooms in the back, one being a small bathroom, one being storage of some kind, but the other you couldn't quite tell, although you can make out the fact that there are markings carved into all of them. The exit door in the back lead to an attached greenhouse. It was bright in there, natural light coming in droves, but all you could see were giant shadows of the plants looming within. 'Wow.' Was all you could muster while taking in the sight.
You didn't even realize you were staring in awe until you heard your name called, snapping you out of it.
"Please, come. Sit over here."
He had cleared off a dusty yet otherwise clean looking couch. You hadn't even noticed the small seating area near one of the front windows. The couch, the recliner, and the table all situated in such a way that someone could comfortably watch from the corner as Brassius worked on his masterpieces, and then chat with him face-to-face across the table during his breaks. You couldn't help but imagine Hassel sitting there with tea, partaking in light conversation as he watched his dear friend work during his down time from the academy and league duties.
You sat on the couch and nodded at him, who returned the gesture before making his way to the chair. Why you nodded, you're not sure. Maybe you're trying to reassure both yourself and him that everything would be alright?
He sighed as he sat down. You couldn't help but take in how long his legs are when he did.
He spoke in a very lowered voice, something you quickly took note of. You wished your mind would stop overanalyzing everything, maybe it was to compensate for how little you understand people?
"Well then. I suppose it is time we cleared the air." His voice was somewhat dark as he spoke, as opposed to the cordial yet animated tone he usually had. This frightened you, but you carried on.
"Y-yes, I suppose so..." You roughly jammed your pointer fingers together as you glanced to the side, not wanting to make eye contact as you spoke. When you looked up, however, you saw that he was looking rather intensely at you, although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Indeed." He started. He looked at you to gage your reaction, which seemed very apprehensive. As he expected, really.
"I am glad you returned, I really do miss your visits."
"Oh yeah? Heh, well I, um, s-sorry..." You hung your head again.
"Nonsense!" He leaned in slightly before catching himself, leaning back again and clearing his throat.
"Now, what sort of person would I be if I held everything against you?" A hint of his usual flair was back, although you could tell he was trying to reel it back in.
"But... you should??"
"Why?"
"Because I s-suck?"
A silence fell over the room.
"You..."
He wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply moved on with a huff.
"You agreed to my proposition that night, but then you ran off and ceased all visits to Artazon for over a month" he started, eyes closed tightly, gripping the armrests on his chair as if to channel his negative emotions. "Why?"
You... truly didn't know how to answer that.
"Well, I uh, had something to do."
"For 5 weeks?"
"Um- yes."
He knew you were lying, but he didn't push it. He has frequent, often longer projects, too, after all.
"Alright. Well, why don't we reschedule, then?"
"Erm-"
You didn't expect him to try and arrange something else.
"Sure?? I- I mean, we can certainly do that."
You grinned, although it looked strained. He stared at you for a few seconds. His mouth seemed to twitch slightly, as if suppressing a grin of his own, but he continued, letting it fade on its own.
"Avant-garde! We will certainly make time to schedule it after our little catch-up."
He looked at you from the bottoms of his eyes. You sunk into the couch a little.
"Yeah! Yeah, we, um-"
He decided to interrupt your odd ramble this time.
"You seem so unsure of yourself. Is there a reason why, dear trainer?"
Ok, now you really felt trapped. Your mind raced a thousand miles per second, yet it came up blank at the same time. What could you say as an answer here?
"I... don't know." You say truthfully, eyes wide and sitting up to stare at him.
He stares back, although he looked like he was thinking hard about what he was going to say next. He sat up some, leaning in before beginning.
"...you fascinate me to no end, you know that?" He said, eyes intense and boring right through you. "You are certainly one of the stranger trainers I have dealt with. It is quite... beautiful, watching you navigate the world. You surprise me every time you visit, doing things I would least expect, yet make sense in the context of you! I have always wanted to get to know you better."
Your face heated up again, although he simply continued.
"I actually had something I wanted to show you, but sadly, my artistic vision has... ceased being clear to me. I have not been able to work on it for a while as a result. Mind if I bring some ideas out? Perhaps I could learn more about you now."
You were shaking. You wanted to say yes, but you didn't want to seem too eager. So, you thought of a compromise.
"Y-yerm..."
There's a difference between an idea and actually executing it correctly.
His face contorted into one of sheer confusion.
"Yerm??"
"Sorry, I, uh, got nervous and didn't wanna say 'yeah' too hard, so uhhh..."
You trailed off. His gaze was transfixed on you.
"Uh-huh." He clapped the awkward tension away as he continued. "Let us commence, then! Sit tight, I shall bring my sketches and prototypes out."
He got up, placing his sketchbook on the table before going over to a table with some clay figurines. They were obvious works-in-progress, but they still looked very interesting. In fact, you'd gladly take them off his hands once he was done with them.
"I use these as prototypes before working on projects like this" He said with a smile. "I want to capture a certain feeling, but in a less spontaneous way. I was..."
He looks away, a far more obvious, yet still light blush gracing his cheeks.
"...I was inspired by you. I wished to capture your essence in a piece of art, but I... can't possibly emulate you in just one piece. I keep getting overwhelmed by all the ways you..."
He trails off when he sees your face. You seem slightly flustered, having sunken into the couch, staring with a very peculiar expression that screams 'OH MY GODS'. He doesn't continue his sentence, instead starting a new one.
"Oh heavens, I must apologize for overwhelming you, I know this is quite a lot all at once..."
He slowly lowers the tray, a dejected look on his face. You scramble to fix this.
"NONONOWAIT!" You wildly wave your hands around to reassure him, although you weren't sure what to actually say.
"I-I'm flattered, actually! I'd, um, be honored to, er, help... and inspire you... 're pro...ject??"
You grin and tilt your head, arms locked in a perpetual shrug. Brassius simply stares back at you.
The silence is dread-inducing, wondering how he'd respond, when...
He grins.
It's sort of ardent, in a way.
'Ardent-garde', you think, momentarily ruining the moment in your mind.
"Why, it is I who feels honored. Very rarely do I meet a soul as bewitching as yours to truly appreciate!"
You smile. For the first time in a while, your heart feels at peace. Is this that real-life connection you've been searching for? That, dare you say, treasure?
"W-well then!" You squawk. "Where do we begin, maestro?"
A/N
OK!! SO! Originally, this was just going to be a story about your presence calming Brassius' constantly tumultuous mind and him making art based on you. But after I started writing your expy as "The MOST Confusing Human in Paldea (TM)," I decided it'd apply to both you AND him! Pretty fun, huh? Like, you ground him and snap him back to reality even when he's in his zone, and he causes you to take a moment to breathe and be self-aware of your catastrophic thinking.
I had more I wanted to write here, but I can't think straight (I finished this after a W I L D trip, so I'm super duper drowsy). Just know this was more of a practice run because THIS MAN RIGHT HERE MADE ME WANNA WRITE AND POST FANFIC AGAIN. Have some food! It's more of an appetizer. I promise to get better, I'm just so used to writing my own characters so sorry if it's lackluster/OOC/everywhere. I have a bunch of Brassius stories planned (he will regain his usual batshit energy in those once he gets used to you being a permanent part of his life, although he will always have a soft spot for you), as well as a few Hassel, Clavell, and Larry, cause old/middle-aged men make me weak apparently. Next will be Hassel, so stay tuned! Hopefully I get in the flow more next time.
(ALSO I HAD TO EDIT THIS ON MY PHONE SO SORRY IF IT'S A FORMATTING MESS OK???)
wherein the reader confesses through a love letter ( email ).
cross-posted on my ao3 so if you see this there, then that's most likely my account.
WORDS: 1834
GENRE: comedy, one-sided crush
────────────────────────
DEAR AKAASHI KEIJI,
Good day. This is (Last Name) (First Name) from Class 3-6 and I am writing this letter to convey my feelings for you. My friend, Rei, had told me that this is one of the best ways that I can confess to the individual that I hold romantic feelings for, which is you. I had initially planned to make a bento for you but I then crossed that out when I accidentally burned the tempura along with my hand in the frying pan during the process, thus, I was not (and still not) able to fulfill such. Thankfully, my left hand was salvaged from the incident so I am able to type.
Firstly, I would like to ask how you are. I hope that all is well. I heard that Bokuto-senpai, your teammate, accidentally spiked a volleyball to your face a few days ago. I searched online and have found this thing called the “RICE” technique. And no, this is not a joke about soaking your face in rice to fix it; Rei likes to joke about that to me a lot, but do not worry, I do not make lame jokes. I applied the same technique to my right hand and it is now healing up well, thankfully. I will be inserting an attachment which obviously includes the link containing this RICE technique at the end of the letter. Please view it and follow the technique in the video if you have not done so yet.
Secondly, I will be stating the main reason as to why I am writing you a letter. I like you, Akaashi-san, and I do not think that I can say this to you in real life. I like to think that I am a great writer, but I cannot say the same for my verbal communication skills. It is the same status as my cooking skills and love life: non-existent. But with this letter, I hope that my feelings are starting to get across by now.
Lastly, despite the fact that I have mentioned my lack of verbal communication skills, I would like to make a request. If it does not trouble you, perhaps you would like to go on a date. My friend, Rei, had also told me that boys are usually the ones asking girls out on dates, but alas, I am no man and you are no woman. Although, I am sure that I might still like you the same even if we were. I am going off topic. Anyway, whether I am a man or a woman, it does not matter to me.
If your answer to the date is yes, then please meet me by the Ginkgo trees near Fukurodani’s basketball court, right beside the vending machine at exactly 3:00 PM tomorrow after classes end. I had asked Bokuto-san whether you all had practice during Thursdays, and apparently you did not.
If you do not go, then that is alright with me as well and I will no longer bother you. Please do not feel pressured to accept my feelings. I would hate for you to feel that way. Rest assured that I will accept whatever response you provide me with.
Thank you and have a nice day ahead.
Sincerely,
(Last Name) (First Name)
Fukurodani Class 2-3
> [ lastname.firstname@yohomail inserted an attachment ]
> https://youtu.be/xvFZjo5PgG0
PS. if you are not able to press the link, I suggest that you copy and paste it on your browser instead. I hope this helps.
────────────────────────
YOU WOULDN’T CALL YOURSELF COURAGEOUS. Such a word was quite loaded considering that there are situations that you would rather not face, but you could say that doing this; confessing to the person you like, is a courageous step on your part. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re scared. Simply standing here by the vending machine, being caressed by the cold wind passing by aids in causing your heart to continue racing. It also causes you to shiver, and so you hug your arms tighter around you, pulling your hoodie close against your skin.
You yawn. It’s one habit you do whenever you are nervous. Akaashi-san could appear from any moment now, after all, and the anticipation causes you to yawn once again.
But then, there is also this probability that he wouldn’t show up at all. If you were to estimate the probability that he returns your feelings, you could say that it’s not zero. You’ve interacted with him enough to see that he at least doesn’t dislike you—if the act of simply glancing at you whenever he would enter Bokuto-san’s classroom and you happened to also be there, was considered an interaction at all. It’s not even a glance; just a passing look as he searches for Bokuto-san.
The first rule of probability states that the probability of an impossible event from happening is 0, while the probability of a certain event is 1. So, given Event A being Akaashi coming here and returning your feelings, you could say that 0 ≤ P(A) ≤ 1 with P(A) representing Event A. The equation means that the probability of Event A is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to 1. Still, that is simply one facet of the multifacets of outcomes that this one scenario can possibly bring and it doesn’t allow you to predict anything at all. It was a desperate attempt to stabilize and comfort yourself.
You aren’t comforted, worse, you are left at a standstill.
“(Last Name)-senpai.”
You jolt amidst your musings and stare owlishly at the newcomer.
You don’t like watching cheesy rom-coms and would much rather prefer to watch informative videos (e.g. the unexplored parts of the Earth’s waters which subsequently informs yet also scares you), but you could say that gazing at him feels like something straight out of a rom-com movie.
Akaashi Keiji stops to stand right beside you, in all his straight-faced glory, looking as cool as a cucumber right beside you. His ebony hair shines against the dewy light of day; the Ginkgo's green leaves filtering out the sunlight, but still somehow emphasizing the features of his face with its highlight. His eyes, straight and sharp ocean blue gazing at you with its usual intensity like raging waters, hidden behind glassy vitreous humour (i.e. the liquid that keeps the eye moist). There's still a bruise by his right eye but it doesn't make him look less breathe-taking to you. His lips, typically set to a straight line, is now quirked slightly downwards along with his furrowed eyebrows make you question whether something wrong had happened.
“Are you okay, (Last Name)-senpai?” He glances down at your bandaged hand. "And how is your hand by the way?"
You cough behind a hand lightly and stand straight, patting the imaginary dust away from your hoodie. “Yes, I am f-fine and dandy, Akaashi-san. My hand is well. I had applied the RICE technique which I hope you are aware of by now."
The corners of his lips quirk up and you internally panic. You had a step-by-step flow prepared for you to follow for an efficient and effective romantic confession, but it all had been thrown out the window all of a sudden.
“... !” So, you stand straight there, unsure of what to do, and avoiding his searching gaze.
“(Last Name)-senpai,”
You jolt once more. “Yes?”
He starts off slowly. “I have received the email you sent yesterday.”
You nod with your arms crossed and respond to him matter-of-factly. “Yes. Yes, I did send one. I am glad the email was well-received and not corrupted.”
No! Why would I say that? Why would it even be corrupted?!
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would it be corrupted?”
Yes, why would it?
You shook your head shortly. “Yes, why would it be corrupted? It is merely just an email containing my romantic confession after all. No hacker would be interested in attacking such a file with malware.”
He simply nods along, although you can see the confusion start to show on his face.
He doesn’t know where this conversation is going and clearly, you don’t either. So, with all of the courage you’ve spent saving up in your entire current lifetime, you take a step.
“Akaashi-san.”
“Yes?”
“If you have received my email yesterday then I must assume that you are aware of why I had given you the choice to meet or to not meet me here. Meeting with me here would indicate that you reciprocate my feelings, yes? And you are here right now, yes? Unless I am imagining things right now.” You almost stutter with your continuous sentences. You could do without the embarrassing last sentence but you’ve done well. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder.
He nods his head. “Yes I am well aware. Although,”
You deflated and it seems that he’s noticed this. Still, he continues on mercilessly.
“I felt that it would be rude if I simply did not show up.”
You admire that he is at least softening the blow. But the damage is done and you could feel the corners of your lips twitching down and the sting behind the back of your eyes. You did not anticipate this: to even be crying at all. You had spent the last few months planning and backing out on this confession, and you have strengthened your will to wholeheartedly accept whatever response he provides you with. As it turns out: You cannot completely rationalize your emotions nor can you always predict it. It is irritating.
You nod your head slowly. “I-I see. Do not worry about it, Akaashi-san. Rest assured, I will not bother you from now on.”
You make a move to bow deeply. “Thank you and have a nice day ahead.”
“Wait.”
A hand grasps the edge of your hoodie’s sleeve. You turn to look at him. His face is serious and stance is firm, and yet, his eyes turn softer. You don’t know. It is a disgustingly cheesy thought to even have, but you like to think that it did happen.
“Yes, it is true that I don’t reciprocate your feelings.” He began.
You nod in reassurance, standing up straighter as he releases his hold on your sleeve. You are now both facing each other and you can see the stress showing through the crease between his two slightly narrowed eyes.
You confirm firmly despite the twinge of pain. “Yes. Yes, we have already established that.”
“But that is because I’ve yet to get to know you.” He pauses, switching to speak less formally. “If it’s okay with you, (Last Name)-senpai, I’d like us to be friends and get to know each other first.”
Your heart fills with hope and you cannot help but stare at him with wide eyes.
“And maybe, we could go on that date once we have crossed that bridge.” He finishes off with a smile. It’s not wide and it doesn’t show his set of pearly teeth, but the corners of his eyes crinkle that you can’t help but do the same.
“Y-Yes. Yes, I would like that.”
His smile grows a tad bit wider and softer. “Please take care of me.”
Oh! (Saw your recent one and thought about this) Maybe a Revali x Rito!reader who was very socially awkward when they first met? 👀 And Revali just makes them more of a mess and he thinks it’s cute or sumthing idk it’s 3am and I’m tired heh
no, anon. this is genius...
enjoy >:)
---
> when i think of this relationship dynamic, i think rio...the movie AGAGAGA
> you get along with people, but you clumsily interact with EVERYONE
> revali’s first interaction with you was at first really doubtful
> many ritos worried about you as you stood before the champion select
> you really want to know what the first words out of your beak was?
> “i- i- i- pretty bird?”
> INSERT FACE PALM YALL
> many observing ritos snickered at your fluffed up feathers and embarrassed gaze into revali’s stern ones
> what did revali think? vali thought it was awkwardly cute
> he raises an eyebrow, as you cover your face in shame
> “what do you mean? if anything, love bird, you’re the pretty one.”
> you just blink and look up, seeing him take off for the flight range
> the others watching just was filled with awe and chattered amongst themselves
> from that point forward, revali made it his life duty to make you flustered any time you happen to pass by one another
> once you both became official, revali’s teasing pet name is pretty bird
> everyone in rito village thinks you both are just a perfect match, especially after the news between that interaction had gotten around
Could i get some headcanons for Nifty with a female s/o, like they don’t understand their feelings and they splurge them out really awkwardly.. thanks..
She finds you adorable!
Who cares if you’re not always super good at saying how you feel?
You blurt your feelings out of the blue, she just grins and does the same right back!
After you two have told each other you love each other in fact, she tells you all the time!
“Y/N! I love you!” “Hey! Hey Y/N! Guess what! *dramatic whisper* I love you” *poke* “Hey Y/N, guess who loves you! ...Me!”
