straight to your heart
characters: zanka nijiku, manato komano, akito shinonome, riddle rosehearts, azul ashengrotto x gender neutral! reader
synopsis: people close to you assume that...you're together. when that isn't the case!
tags: pre-established relationship, mutual pining, suggestive remark (zanka), wingman enjin (zanka), flirty manato, reader daydreams abt their loverboy lol (akito), kinda wingman ena (akito), book 3 spoilers (riddle), azul uses octopus mating rituals lol, the twins are menaces but also wingmen (azul) reader is the prefect (riddle & azul), implied friends to lovers, whipped reader and character, everyone's flustered and a mess, bickering.
a/n: hiya all, it's been 5 months of silence and i apologize for that,, i've been dealing with my last yr in uni so ive been busy w my internship (which continues next week..) anyway, this was inspired from my own exp. and if you've noticed i added new characs. i'm a new twst fan so uhh sorry if i don't write em well (this applies to manato and zanka but i liked them far longer). i'm going back to writing solo oneshots after this, so pls look forward to that and plz enjoy this! proofread.
ZANKA NIJIKU
Zanka didn't mean to overhear, he was just passing by. His ears also didn't mean to pick up on your voice and Enjin's–it's a coincidence, that's all it was.
“-Frankly, I'm tired of you and Zanka tiptoeing around each other!” Enjin's voice seeped through the closed door, echoing in the empty hallway and straight through his head.
What did Enjin mean by tiptoeing around each other?
“Well stay tired! There's nothing going on between us.” Zanka could hear the exasperation in your voice. He also envisioned your annoyed face at the older man. So you were also inside…he thought the older cleaner was talking to himself.
“So sleeping together in one bed is what friends do nowadays huh?” Enjin chortled as you gasped comically, Zanka could hear someone getting hit. “You make it sound so-!”
What?
Zanka felt his face heat up at the implication of his words. His hands were clamming up and he felt faint the longer he stood behind the door. Honestly, he should have walked away once he heard of the hushed conversation. But could anyone blame him, knowing that said conversation included you?
“Well, it's a good time for you to make a move then! It's been what, a few months? You can just confess to the guy and everything will be solved!” The cleaners’ insinuation isn't lost on Zanka, in fact it made his heart beat uncontrollably in his chest.
Enjin's just messing with you both, there's no way in hell you have feelings for him…right?
A long silence stretched out before he heard a quiet voice mutter, “it's not that easy…” It wasn't a denial or the aggravated tone you had on earlier. Zanka planned on leaving to clear his head and not be spotted by the both of you, yet he was so distracted to the point of pushing the door ajar.
The sound snapped both of you to stare at the now opened door, your fellow cleaner absolutely red in the face–mouth open. “U-uh…”
Before you question his presence, Zanka became a flurry of sound and color as he bolted out of the room. Enjin, who was still seated beside you, guffaws and shakes your figure in excitement.
Wanting to clear the misunderstanding, you forced yourself to stand up and follow– though remembering his flustered state and how quick he was to evade any kind of questioning lit your heart aflutter.
Maybe, you’ll let this accident slide. Who knows, a confession may come out of it sooner or later.
KOMANO MANATO
Classes had finished for the semester so you had more time to help around the house. Be it chores or some random errands, you at least wanted to be useful before fully embracing the temptation that is your bed.
While chopping some vegetables for tonight’s dinner, your phone rang on the table. And before you had the chance to pick it up, your mother was quick to snatch it and answer.
You didn’t mind this, as this was what you always did when somebody called your mom’s cellphone. While placing the sliced veggies on a plate, a feeling of dread surged through your body as a familiar name left her lips.
“Ah, Manato!” Again, you didn't mind your mother doing this but the way her face contorted into a smug grin made you imagine what devious tricks she had up her sleeve.
So far, she hadn't said anything weird, which is good. She was offering pleasantries and checking in with your friend and his siblings. You fully expected her to give you the phone to talk with said friend.
A few seconds pass by before, “by the way, when is your date going to be?” Your head whipped in your mother's direction, she had her back turned to you.
Having enough of whatever topic this was going to be, you marched over and plucked the phone out of her hold. She only gave you an expectant look before going back to the stove to check on the food.
“Manato?” You found your voice, hoping that he'd hung up right away so you didn't have to defend yourself from that embarrassment.
“Hey…” his voice—you recently found out— had this weird effect. Your stomach went all crazy, which doesn't usually happen when you are hanging out with him.
You apologized for the earlier mishap, but Manato only chuckled. To your horror and to your mom's amusement, that made you grow flustered.
“It's fine. But, I'm kinda curious what date she meant?” More questions meant more time ruminating over the fact that you may have a sliiight crush on Manato.
“Uh, she meant the fruit?” A stupid answer, hopefully he wouldn't call you out on that.
“...Mhm, you really think so?” His voice carried this teasing lilt that felt unnatural to hear from someone like him, so you pointedly ignored this. Though you really don't think Manato speaking like that is good for your heart. His laughter again, floats through your phone speaker.
“Did you mean to say that out loud?” Gosh, were you really just fumbling at this point? Maybe you ingested something that made you so talkative and unaware that you were rambling-
“Should I just hang up?” Manato asks again, clearly amused from the conversation you orchestrated yourself.
“Wait! Just hear me out,” you say, clearing your throat, pacing back and forth inside the kitchen. “We can talk normally, after I'm done here. I can say what I want…properly this time.”
Once you said those words, you could feel your mother vibrating from where she was prepping the dinner table. While your heart, continuously thrummed inside of your chest; it might as well have jumped out of you at this point.
Manato hummed, “Okay. I'll see you then.” Simple, to the point–like what comes after this wasn’t going to change your entire friendship.
SHINONOME AKITO
The first time it happened was during lunch time, you had set down your bento on the table where you usually sat with Emu.
Said girl was already rushing you to sit down, her whole being sparkling that it almost blinded you. You two get to talking about your day, what activities went down during classes and wondering if you could get invited to one of her shows (in which she quickly agreed to).
While you were speaking, Emu's gaze flitted to the cinammonroll charm you had dangling on your phone. “Oh, where'd ya get that?” Your attention falls on the memorabilia, reminded of the shopping trip you had with Akito.
It was summer at that time, you had invited the ginger to spend the day together before practice swallowed him up. He begrudgingly readily agreed and before you went your separate ways, you forced Akito to match phone charms with you.
“You literally said you were gonna stop spending today…” he sighed, staring at the badtz-maru phone charm you've thrusted in his direction.
“But it was on sale!” You pouted and he only offered a raised eyebrow, still not accepting your gift.
“Does that mean I have to accept it?” Akito squinted his eyes, scrutinizing your annoyed expression.
Grumbling, you snatched it back and stuffed it back inside your bag. Your friend continued snickering before slinging an arm around you, “Don't be mad.”
The gesture alone flushed your face with color.
Back to the present, your pink-haired friend watched as your face slowly flustered. “Hey?” The word snapped you out of your daydreams, remembering that you were indeed outside and not at home.
The second time it happened, you were at a cafe with Emu. It was a spur of the moment invite, and since you didn't have anything better to do, you just followed her and decided to relax.
After ordering, she laid both your drinks, “You ordered something different today I see.” It was a jest, a harmless and normal observation coming from your friend who knows you loved ordering iced drinks when at cafes.
But your mind wanders to the fact that this was Akito's favorite drink, and that causes your face to burn hotly. Emu could only stare in amusement as you tried your best to splutter incoherent sentences in defense to your reaction.
The third (and last time) it happened was at dinner in the Shinonome household. Akito had invited you over as he did so in the past few years. And while eating, your conversation with the ginger escalated to playful bickering.
From an outsider's perspective, you looked as if you were genuinely flirting with the other. And in this case, it was Ena— Akito’s older sister who had enough of your back-and-forth.
“Geez, can you just kiss already?”
Her words registered in your brain, prompting you to jump in mortification. Your body reeled itself back and you wished the floor would swallow you whole. Meanwhile, Akito—uncharacteristically remained quiet, because he'd usually be the first one to fight his sister over this.
You quickly downed the meal in front of you and rushed to stand abruptly, bidding a quick farewell to the siblings. In all honesty, it was quite rude of you to leave after being graciously invited. But you imagined the nausea that came with your realized feelings.
Though, you should not have left so suddenly. Because you could have witnessed Akito get so red in the face that his sister couldn't stop laughing.
RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS
It was near final exams and no matter how much information you crammed inside your brain, it just couldn't process the language the book spewed out.
Deuce, ever the empath—comforted you in this dilemma. Being reminded of the fact that you grew up in a different universe than theirs, needing to add the fundamentals of magic and alchemy onto your basic knowledge of the world.
Sure you could catch up on other subjects, yet trying to orient yourself on the whimsical laws of Twisted Wonderland made you wish another black carriage crashed into your sorry self.
On hour two of trying to memorize the years wherein the Great Seven rose to power, your bleary eyes wandered off to your mischievous companion who was completely zonked out beside you.
Oh how you wished to only stuff yourself with food and fool around like your academics didn't matter.
When asked when he planned to study, Grim only laughed at you and said, "The great and illustrious Grim doesn't need to study!" You reminded him of what happened at Octavinelle dorm and you're answered with a groan and dismissal.
At this point, you’re desperate for a tutor. Anyone who was willing to take you under their wing—in order to survive just this final exam. At first, Azul was an enticing candidate—he literally created the study guide that raised the school's average on a previous examination. But you were also reminded of the stress you went through when trying to undo said deal.
There was also Jamil, who could probably tutor you. But you remember that he also has the Al-Asim heir and probably a million other things to worry about, so you erased that from your head.
The only other eligible candidate in your head was none other than the Heartslabyul Housewarden himself, Riddle Rosehearts. So there you stood behind his room's door. Feet planted on the floor, the nerves tingling beneath your skin. There were the other dorm residents who passed by, thinking you were either crazy or plotting his downfall maybe?
Before you were able to knock, the door opened and said housewarden faced you. A look of recognition passed his face before a small smile framed his features, “Good day Prefect.”
No words left you, probably too awestruck by him. So you both stood at the door in awkward silence before Riddle spoke again, “Did you need anything from me, Prefect?”
Remembering your original purpose, you nodded—features morphing in a sheepish expression. “Actually yes. I wanted to ask if you could help me…with the final exams? I know you’re really busy with your own exams, I’ll be an easy student I swear!”
Maybe you should've just stayed in your room and crammed as much information instead of asking Riddle to tutor you! It's not like he'll-
“Oh, that's quite alright. Let me know when you'll be free so we can get started?” His easy acceptance left you looking like a fish out of water. Not that you doubted that he’d accept, it was just…shocking!
“What's so surprising about it? I don't mind tutoring you.” Riddle speaks again and you've realized that you said that last part aloud. Your face bursts into color, sputtering about how he shouldn't have heard that.
He only chuckled and excused himself to leave. You could have swooned in silence, but a certain someone decided to interrupt your lovestruck thoughts.
“You are so whipped.” Ace snickered from behind you, and promptly got his ass beat afterward.
AZUL ASHENGROTTO
Azul's been acting weird lately.
You could feel his gaze burning into you, and whenever your eyes meet his – he always goes still, and quickly looks away like he'd been burned. He lingers behind your figure more often than not, quietly lurking as if he's scared of interrupting whatever you've been doing.
The problem was, you know he's been avoiding you all the same. The reason was unknown to you, yet his distaste was palpable from a mile away. You tried many times to approach him, breaching the topic of what’s wrong? Only to behold a defensive Azul, trying to hide behind his well-calculated facade.
When sharing your predicament to the ones who knew him most, Jade only smiled. Saying things like, ‘he shouldn't ruin the fun,’ Which made you all the more confused. For once in his life, can he stop being so mysterious?!
You wondered if prodding Floyd of his boss’ temperament would give you the answers you wanted. But you were also very bugged out about getting squeezed. Or moreso the thought of being the one prodded to the point of exasperation, so he's out of the list.
After exhausting your options, you've come to the conclusion that Azul probably didn't want to be bothered right now. You'd see how he was juggling many things—from his duties as housewarden to managing the Mostro Lounge. You realized that maybe he wasn't evading you because he wanted to, but because he didn't have the time.
With that in mind, you lessened your visits and cut short the conversations you had with him.
Despite the solution you've come up with, Azul became more sullen. The twins watched in amusement as their Housewarden followed you around like a duckling, eager for your attention like a sponge trying to suck up liquid.
To his credit, he was trying his damned best to get across his interest for you. He knew he was doing the right things, and he kind of researched a bit to do it appropriately. So he doesn't really get why you didn't understand his intentions.
After a few weeks had passed, you had enough of the dynamic you both created. You wanted answers and can't afford to lose sleep over this stupid…whatever it was.
And so, you marched over to where you knew the bespectacled second year was, ignoring the curious looks of his fellow club members. You grabbed his wrist, ignoring his flustered exclamations and dragging him outside into the hallway.
As your eyes meet his, you're welcomed with the sight of his flushed face and his slightly ajar mouth. If you weren't so mad at him, you would've kissed him right then and there-
“What!?” Azul shrieks, breaking you from your daydreams. He was now redder than a tomato—absolutely flustered to the point of fainting. Belatedly, you realized you've said that part out loud.
Well at least this would make confessing to Azul all the more easier.
© vynlouvre 2026
