Hi hii can I request an Ajax Fanfic where reader is immune to his snakes on his head?, like people would turn into stones by just looking at it but for reader she's just : "cool hair" 😭
angel \ Ajax Petropolus x gn!reader
wordcount: 1.6k content/warnings: reader is a celestial outcast (descended from angellic folk) who can heal people, established friendship, metions of blood/light injury, Ajax being hopelessly in love, fluff, kisses. a\n notes: I decided to make up an outcast type for this and I really enjoyed it! I hope you do too ❤️ reference for Ajax without his beanie | masterlist
Of all the people in fencing class, the last person you expected to get injured was Ajax.
Despite his somewhat slow reputation in day-to-day life, on the strip he was sharp and steady, a marvel to watch when he got into the rhythm. He had this easy confidence with a blade that usually saw him win any match that wasn’t against Wednesday or Bianca with ease.
You would have been lying to yourself if you said it didn't do something to you watching him practise. He may have been your best friend, but there was something in the fluttering of your stomach that you were pretty sure wasn't normal for 'just friends'. Nor was the assured smirk he gave you whenever he removed his mask, or the way his handwould linger on your lower back whenver he helped you get your stance just right...
Which is why him accepting a military rules bout with Wednesday had been such a surprise to everyone. And why his subsequent stumble had the entire room holding their breath. You included.
It happened so fast no one had time to process it.
One moment, Ajax was countering Wednesday’s attack with a clean parry, the next his foot caught on the edge of the mat. He pitched forward, completely off balance. Wednesday, of course, didn’t hesitate. Her foil, untipped, slid past his guard and snagged across his forehead, catching the line of his beanie, in one clean line.
He had disappeared after that. You assumed he’d gone straight to the infirmary, you yourself rushing straight out after practise to find him only, none of the school nurses had even heard of the incident – let alone treated Ajax.
Which left only one explanation.
The idiot had tried to patch himself up himself.
That was how you found yourself outside his dorm room, knuckles tapping lightly against the old wood.
“Ajax?” you called, leaning closer. For a moment, there was silence. Then, a muffled thud – followed by a frantic sort of fumbling.
Your brows knit. “I wanted to check in on that cut, I—”
The door gave easily under your hand as you pushed it open.
“Wait! Don’t—!”
Too late.
You had already peeked your head around the door by the time he shouted.
He had already screwed his eyes shut in frustration, huffing an irritated sigh to himself as his uncovered snakes writhed around his face like a cruel halo.
You glanced around for a second, a roll of gauze haphazardly unraveled in his lap, one chunk of it already soaking up some of the blood from his forehead, his sakes curling restlessly.
You could only laugh as you stepped inside fully and closed the door behind you. “Nice hair.”
His eyes shot open, lips parting in shock as you stood watching him, offering him only a smug smile.
“Y-you’re not… my—” he stumbled over the word, hands fluttering uselessly before he gave up and just pointed to his head, to the snakes that seemed just as startled as he was.
You arched a brow, smirking. “No, Ajax. I’m not stone.”
He blinked at you, disbelieving. His snakes twitched like they weren’t sure whether to retreat or reach for you. “H-how?” he managed, still staring like you were some impossible trick.
“Celestial blood,” you shrugged, making your way over to him as he collapsed down onto his bed. “I’m not completely immune, but I can hold off the effects for far longer than others.”
“Hold them off?” he frowned as you grasped his jaw gently, turning his head to make peeling back the gauze easier
“I mean, if we had an hour-long staring contest, I’d probably start to feel a little stiffer,” you teased, lips twitching into a small smile, “but it would take hours for me to eventually freeze up.”
“That’s… insane,” Ajax whispered, eyes flicking between yours in awe. His snakes leaned toward you curiously.
“You sound almost disappointed.”
He shook his head far too enthusiastically, wincing at the slight pain. “No, quite the opposite. How come you never told me?”
You started to brush some of the hair away from his forehead, minding his snakes as you did so, and trying to ignore the way he shivered slightly as you stroked them. “I guess I never thought about it.”
He scoffed, “We have been best friends since second year, and you didn’t think to tell me that I could take my hat off around you?”
“Well, when you put it like that, it makes me sound like the arsehole,” you scoffed, using a bit of fresh gauze to blot at the still beading cut. “I guess I just presumed you were just more comfortable with one on.”
He shrugged gently. “I suppose it’s more normal than not.” He swallowed thickly as you dropped the gauze to his bedside table. “I really am fine, you know. You don’t have to waste energy on this.”
You snorted a laugh, your fingers pressing gently to the split skin, smiling apologetically when Ajax winced. “I might not be a doctor, but I am pretty sure that blood belongs on the inside.”
You closed your eyes for a moment, lips pressing together as you concentrated on the skin beneath your fingertips, feeling it knit together slowly.each cell closing on one another, until there was no trace of the cut at all.
“There, all fixed up.” You stepped back slightly with a tired smile.
“Thank you,” he spoke softly, fingers brushing over the spot. “You’re an angel, I swear.”
“Not an angel. Technically,” you replied, a small smile tugging at your lips as you brushed a few lingering strands from his forehead. There was no reason to, you knew that, but the last thing you wanted to do was step away. He shuddered again, and you weren’t sure if it was from your touch or the phantom ache of the cut.
“Close enough,” he huffed a laugh. “You really didn’t have to, you know.”
“And let it get infected?” You sank into his desk chair, spinning idly as he cleared away the gauze and empty packets. “Why didn’t you go to the infirmary?”
He released a dry laugh, shaking his head. “And stone the nurses whenever they tried to look at it? No thanks, today has been humiliating enough.”
"Class wasn't that bad," you offered, pushing down a smile when he looked at you as if to say yeah, right. You tilted your head, studying him. “Why did you trip? It isn't like you.”
Ajax froze, his shoulders tensing mid-movement. For a moment, he didn’t answer, just busied himself with shoving the bloody gauze into the trash.
“Ajax?” you pressed, gentler this time.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “…I was distracted.”
Your brow furrowed, Ajax was nothing but focused when fencing. He had told you on several occasions before that it was one of the few times his brain really switched off. “Distracted? By what?”
His snakes stirred restlessly, his face flushing a deep pink, and he refused to meet your eyes. “Doesn’t matter.”
You leaned forward slightly in the chair, curiosity piqued. “Doesn’t matter, or you don’t want to tell me?”
Finally, he risked a glance at you, his eyes lingering, holding something that wasn't there before. His voice was quieter now, almost hesitant, “Let’s just say… I wasn’t watching my opponent as closely as I should have been.”
There was a beat of silence before it clicked, and warmth crept up your neck. The realization made your heart stutter, and your hands twitched nervously in your lap. “…You were watching me?”
Ajax groaned, dragging his hands over his face. “God, why did I say anything?”
You couldn’t help it – you laughed, surprised, your heart thrumming a little too fast. “That’s… kind of sweet, actually.”
He peeked at you through his fingers, eyes wide, hopeful. “You think so?”
Your smile softened. “Yeah. Sweet. Stupid – but sweet.”
His snakes perked up at that, swaying with a kind of giddy energy, and Ajax himself looked like he wasn’t sure whether to grin or hide under his blanket.
“Why were you watching me?” you pressed, the whole situation making you feel positively giddy.
“Don’t make me say any more,” he warned lightly, busying himself again with tidying up aimlessly, stooping to scoop an abandoned hoodie from the floor.
“You’ve already come this far, indulge me,” you grinned, watching as he stopped, glancing at you with false annoyance, one brow raised.
Finally he huffed, tossing his hoodie across the end of his bed. “Because I wanted to see if you were watching.”
“Ajax Petropolus,” you half scolded, although there was no malice in it, “Did you accept a military bout to try and impress me?”
His groan as he fell back onto his mattress was confirmation enough. He slung an arm over his face, burying himself in the crook of his elbow.
“So what if I did,” he huffed, his voice quieting to barely more than a murmur, “It didn’t work anyway.”
You bit your lip, trying to rein in the giddiness that threatened to bubble out, glad for a moment that he wasn’t paying attention to you.
You rose quietly, tiptoeing over to his side. Your pulse raced, fingers tingling with nervous excitement as you leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.
His arm pulled back in shock, eyes widening as his snakes perked toward you all at once.
“Well,” you murmured, your voice now soft, “I wouldn’t say it was a total failure…” you sank onto the edge of his mattress, holding back a laugh.
Ajax blinked at you, completely frozen, lips parting a few times as if trying to force words out. Finally, he exhaled shakily, pressing himself up on his palms, his voice low and hesitant. “So… you wouldn’t mind if I kissed you right now?”
Your stomach did a little somersault at the question, and you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you, light and nervous. “I don’t think I’d mind at all,” you admitted, heart hammering in your chest.
His eyes softened, and he leaned in slowly, as if savoring the moment, giving you just enough time to pull closer. When your lips finally met, it was gentle at first, tentative and sweet.
Your hand found its way to his shoulder, trailing up until your fingers found the nape of his neck, fingers curling in the soft hair below his snakes and tugging him slightly closer, and his arm wrapped around you instinctively, fingers brushing against your waist. The butterflies in your chest forcing shallower breaths as you pulled back just enough to look at him.
“See?” you whispered, grinning despite the heat in your cheeks. “Not a total failure.”
Ajax let out a soft laugh, pressing his forehead to yours, his snakes instinctively curling to brush the sides of your cheeks. “Definitely not.”
Bonus:
"Exactly how long have you been waiting for me to make a move?" Ajax broke the comfortable silence that had settled between you. You were sat comfortably behind him on his bed, helping to gently detangle some of the hair from his snakes.
"I'd say about a year, at least."
"I'm really slow, aren't I?" he cringed, pulling a laugh from your lips.
"I wouldn't have you any other way."
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