⊹ ࣪ ˖ Bombshell ˖ ࣪⊹
Had to write something for Reze now the new trailer is out. Already have another fic for her in store because I am absolutely feral for this woman and she needs more love. If there's one thing I love more than Reze it's her hybrid form.
➸ Reze + !Neutral!Reader
➸ Word count; 1,832 words,
➸ Set before her introduction in the manga (also a slight itty bitty bit of an AU, if you squint)
➸ Content warnings include cursing, blood mentioned, minor amounts of violence (kind of cause Reze is murderous when she needs to be) and descriptions of a burning/burnt building.
Returning home to the petulant smell of sulphur hanging thick in the air was enough to make you choke and gag before dropping your meagre bag of groceries. A resounding thump and rustle followed by the crinkling of packages, plastic melting into the smouldering clumps of brick that used to belong to your apartment building.
Returning home to the petulant smell of sulphur hanging thick in the air was enough to make you choke and gag before dropping your meagre bag of groceries. A resounding thump and rustle followed by the crinkling of packages, plastic melting into the smouldering clumps of brick that used to belong to your apartment building.
There was ringing in your ears - Loud enough to drown out the drones of people, police and firemen maybe. Sharp suits flashed between the crowds, glints of swords, furrowed brows, and taught looks. Furiously pounding in your ribcage, your heartbeat errant, your gut twisting as you numbly stumbled forward to your now destroyed home. The structure was crumbling, billows of smoke towering into the sky, blanketing the blue like a smothering embrace. You weren't sure what was stinging your eyes more - The smoke or the tears pinpricking at the thought of your now lost home.
'Is Reze okay?' Was all you could think. It brought about another bout of panic that settled deep in your chest. You could stand losing your home, it was a heavy blow both emotionally and monetarily, but you could deal with that later. You couldn't handle losing your partner.
'Was she scheduled to work today? She could be at the cafe, right?' You tried to rationalise, pleading that fate would at least let her be okay, but the fact you couldn't even remember if she was supposed to be at work today or not did not help the dying glimmer of hope that remained. Or maybe it was the shock finally hitting your senses. Either way, you continued forward, somehow slipping under the watch of the approaching devil hunters and police and into the ashy ruins of the building you once called home.
It looked like a bomb had gone off, was your first thought. The front desk was shattered, the bench broken in half. A smouldering crater sat placidly in the middle of the room, half-lit fires and smouldering embers burning red hot as you stumbled past. One of the elevators was missing, possibly crashed at the very bottom level if the empty, scorched elevator shaft told you anything. The stairs were miraculously left unharmed for the most part.
Still, unharmed did not mean untouched. Your hand was coated in soot the moment you steadied yourself against the railing. However cool to the touch, it was absolutely filthy. You swiped it over your already ruined uniform.
"Reze?" Your voice cracked, quiet under the roaring flames, sirens and mindless chatter. It barely carried, and you were certain that even if Reze were here and was still alive, she wouldn't have heard you anyway.
You jumped as something fell and crashed not too far from where you were, almost slipping and falling through a hole that opened up underneath your foot like a gaping, toothy maw. Whimpering, you hurried your way up the stairs and further into the burning building a little faster.
Somehow, your hallway was mostly fine. It was undeniably warm, uncomfortably so, flames licking at the scorch-stained windows, but for the most part, it was untouched. Not entirely clean and devoid of damage, but rather, it was the most unspoiled part of the building you'd seen so far. It was nice, you supposed, but your stomach was still twisting and writhing in frantic knots. Bits of broken wood were flung around, but it didn't look like they came from the still-intact doors, nor did the plaster look like it had been blown from the wall. However, just your luck, the one part that wasn't left untouched was your goddamn apartment.
It made your heart sink, or your stomach lurch into your chest. The door was completely blown off its hinges, scorch marks flying inwards, into the apartment like an incredible force had burst its way through.
Carefully, you peered into the ruined room.
Someone was standing in the middle of the kitchenette, humanoid in shape with their hand braced against the table. Eerily silent apart from a faint hissing sound with small sparks flying from small scratches and dents that littered their metallic face. Otherwise, they were stock-still, steaming spewing from one end of their bulbous, shiny head like an overheated engine.
The hole blown clean in the wall behind them allowed the bustling wind to whip past, tugging at the sheer dress of twisted cables and dull-carmine dynamite strapped around their body.
'What the fuck is that?' You held your breath, unsure of whether escaping back to the freedom of outside and clean air would've been a better choice than just standing in the doorway like a deer staring into headlights. Either way, there was the possibility that whatever was standing in the middle of your ruined home would hear you, but there was something that made your blood run ice cold and pause.
A spattering of crimson over the rightmost wall, a clean arc bold against the fumes. Blood, thick, dripping slowly before puddling where the floor sharply curved upwards.
What you could only assume was Reze's blood.
"No…" Tears finally fell, rolling over your cheeks, turning grey with ash. Then, you realised your mistake - Alerting whatever killed Reze to your appearance. The dread of losing your loved one was trumped, nothing compared to the almost hysteria of seeing the thing shift.
At first, it was the flex of the hand against the table, fingers flexing, spreading, smearing more blood against the placemats - Then it was the head. It shuddered and shook itself before seemingly heaving a breath it had been holding and letting a billow of steam spew from its mouth, a sickening, metallic crack resounding through the room before its head slowly, malevolently, peered in your direction.
Amongst the burnt wires and smeared blood spattered against its front (you heaved a silent sob knowing it was Reze's own blood) you noticed the stark white button-up shirt that melted into its skin. Tight, unmarred by everything except the crimson blood that dripped from its harrowing teeth, and decorated with a still intact name tag.
Reze.
That scared you more than anything.
The only thing that haunted you more than your partner dying by the creature in front of you, was your girlfriend being possessed by the creature in front of you. A fiend was the only thing that made sense, seeing something so humanoid garbed with such a strange head and decorated with twisted wires and flying sparks. The thing in front of you had killed Reze, or found her body, and decided to take it for itself.
It was the only thing that made sense in your mind, after all.
"What are you?" You snivelled. The thing already knew you were there, staring you straight down its sights despite the fact you were sure it had no eyes. It paused, tilted its head, and had the audacity the laugh, or more accurately, giggle, in your girlfriend's own voice.
"You weren't supposed to find out," Her shoulders sagged, dragging her feet against the floor. It still felt like her, even if a devil had taken over her mind. Still…
"Reze?" Your voice was hoarse, rough from the smoke and tears. The thing cocked her head to the other side, letting her limbs fall lax at her sides.
"Lisichka," There was a specific tone in her voice, but it was the name that made your heart break. Those uttering of syllables, the same ones Reze would whisper softly, adoringly, in your ear before the two of you would fall asleep. The way the devil moved in front of you, it seemed all too familiar for her body to simply have been taken over. You had no idea how possession worked, but you were certain that the body always lost a sense of humanity as well as their memories as their mind was stolen. Seeing the devil Reze in front of you, a part of you doubted that this was not Reze. Too many of her mannerisms were still there, the way she held herself, the way she talked, her words and the way her head tilted.
"I don't understand…" You clung to the doorway, trying to regain any semblance of balance as your mind whirled by at incredible speeds. Reze swayed before walking toward you, gentle and light with a pep in her step. She didn't say anything, but you could feel the heat radiating off of her, palpable waves that swamped the already humid air around you. Instead, her fingers cupped your cheeks delicately, fuse wires starkly cool, but in a manner that was undoubtedly from Reze's own control.
From here, you could see your face reflected in the shine of her head. Rounded, almost glassy in texture. Steam still spewed from her mouth, thin wisps that rose to the ceiling. You hummed, the sound ragged in your throat. 'This is Reze' was the only thought running through your mind. This scary, daunting creature that had most likely destroyed the building the two of you had lived in, was your own girlfriend. The being that stared you down, teeth covered in blood with her uniform melting into her skin. The person who, despite the carnage that surrounded the two of you, held you so tenderly and carefully and with such love that, as the realisation dawned on you, you couldn't really come to hate like any other devil that plagued the city.
You sniffled once, and then raised your own hands to trace along the curve of her face.
The metal (you were certain it was metal) was warm to the touch. Not hot, but pleasantly warm against the aches in your fingers. Nicks covered the surface, not entirely smooth, somewhat dented - Ruggered would probably be the best way to describe the feeling. Reze vibrated under your touch, leaning in further as your hands traced along the curled ridges cut out of the side of her head, following the curve down toward her pointed teeth. The feeling of hot blood made you flinch, but still, you continued, cradling the oversized head of your girlfriend in the hold of your arms.
That was, until, she literally started melting between your fingers. The scream in your throat was muffled as Reze threw her arms around your shoulders, covering your mouth with a single hand whilst the other rubbed comforting circles across your back. Within a blink, the devil mask, or head, was gone, slumped in a pile of dark sludge that quickly seeped into the floor as soon as it had fallen from Reze's face. Now, she was there, peering into your eyes, crystal clear emerald that you remembered so fondly with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"What was that all about?" Your voice was barely above a whisper, cracked, and sorely tired. Just having Reze wrapped around you like she so commonly did was already doing wonders for your palpating heart.
"I'll tell you later," She grinned, turning her head toward the broken door frame. The concentrated footsteps of about three of four people were already making their way down the hallway. "For now," Reze grabbed your wrist, "we run."
For those curious, Lisichka, the name Reze called the reader, apparently means little fox in Russian if my five minutes of searching told me anything.