Synopsis ❧ Nerd nanami is a man of logic and gray tones whose perfectly ordered life is derailed by bimbo!reader pink energy and chaos.
The rain was tapping against the window of Nanami’s apartment, a steady rhythm that usually helped him power through his freelance data analysis. He was hunched over his desk, his back a rigid line of productivity, black glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
Then there was the sound of your fuzzy slippers hitting the hardwood.
Nanami didn't look. He couldn't. He was in the middle of a complex string of code. "Y/N, you’ll make me loose my train of thought. Unless the building is on fire, please hold your thought for twelve minutes."
"But it's an emergency," you pouted, leaning over his shoulder. You were wearing a bright pink tracksuit, and your hair was pulled back by a headband with giant glittery bear ears. You held up two bottles of nail polish. "Which pink? 'Ballerina Slipper' or 'Double Bubble Gum'?"
Nanami stared at the screen. He closed his eyes for a three second count, then slowly turned his chair. He looked at the two bottles, then up at your wide, expectant eyes.
"They are functionally identical," he said, his voice flat.
"Um, no," you gasped, popping a bubble with your gum. "One has cool undertones and the other is a warm rose. If I pick the wrong one, it'll clash with my strawberry matcha tomorrow. My aesthetic will be ruined, Kento. Do you want me to be ruined?"
Nanami rubbed the bridge of his nose, his glasses clicking against his skin. "I want you to let me finish this spreadsheet so I can maintain our 'aesthetic' of having electricity and food."
"You’re being such a grump," you giggled, moving into his space. You didn't care about his deadlines you just liked the way he smelled like old paper and expensive laundry detergent. You reached out and tapped the glass of his monitors. "Why are there so many numbers? It’s giving me a headache just looking at it. How do you not go crazy?"
"I have systems, Y/N. Logic. Structure," he said, though his hand instinctively moved to your waist to keep you from accidentally deleting a column of data. "Concepts you seem to treat as mere suggestions."
"Logic is boring! I have vibes," you countered. You leaned down, your glossy lips inches from his ear. "And my vibes say you’ve been sitting here for four hours and your neck is probably all stiff. Let me help."
Before he could protest, your hands smelling like coconut lotion were kneading his shoulders. Nanami let out a traitorous, low groan, his head falling forward despite himself.
"Your technique is... surprisingly effective," he admitted, his voice losing its sharp edge.
"I know, right? I saw it online," you chirped. You leaned over and pressed a wet, sticky kiss to his cheek, leaving a faint shimmer of gloss behind. "Now, pick a pink. Left or right?"
Nanami looked at the bottles again. He sighed, the sound of a man who had completely lost the battle against chaos. He reached out and tapped the 'Double Bubble Gum' bottle.
“The 'Double Bubble Gum' one," he stated, his voice as dry as a textbook. "It's the only one that stands a chance of being visible against the... overwhelming amount of plushies currently occupying your side of the bed."
"Oh my god, you noticed!" you squealed, clacking your nails together with a sound like a flurry of tiny typewriter keys. "I knew you were a fan of my style. You’re such a lie-on, Kento!"
"The word is 'liar,' Y/N," he corrected automatically, his finger twitching on his mouse. "And 'noticing' is a physiological reaction to being blinded by a glittery phone case every time I try to find my glasses in the dark."
"Whatever, you love it," you giggled, leaning down to plant a sticky, strawberry-scented kiss right on the center of his forehead. "It adds flavor to your life!"
Nanami sighed that deep, weary sound of a man who had officially surrendered his quiet, gray world to a girl who smelled like candy. He waited until you skipped off toward the couch, humming a song that had no business being that catchy, before he reached up.
He touched the spot where your lip gloss had left a shimmering, tacky mark on his skin. He looked at his reflection in the dark computer screen, seeing the smudge of pink on his otherwise perfect, stoic face.
He didn't wipe it off. He just adjusted his glasses and went back to his spreadsheet, the 'Double Bubble Gum' bottle sitting like a bright, chaotic trophy on his desk.