in which, shinonome akito surprises his favourite writer.
contents. shinonome akito x gn!reader, just fluff really, <- might've ruined it with an attempt of crack, unproofread and messy bc i can't think properly anymore
a/n. this was supposed to be my birthday fic, i didn't finish it in time and was considering deleting but nah not today
You're tired. Really tired.
It's not a complaint, being permitted to stay out late to celebrate your birthday, now returning on a long yet peaceful and empty train ride. With the occasional rattling, it was silent, with the exception of your tired breathing and the rustle of your clothes every time you shuffled around a bit.
Arms crossed and back leaned against his seat, his eyes remain shut, resting a bit after such a long day. Fatigue pays a visit to you as well, a yawn claws out of your throat, earning an immediate reaction from Akito.
Arm snaking behind your head, he pulls you in by the shoulder, making sure you rest comfortably against his. You snuggle against him, the scent of his cologne makes you crave more of him and his touch. The jacket that was once resting on his lap is thrown over you, and carefully he adjusts it, without moving his shoulder.
You nod, resting your eyes a bit.
"If you're able to stay awake, I want to give you my gift."
"Excuse me?" As if you weren't ever exhausted in the first place you sit up, staring at him with confusion. "Akito, you bought me pretty much every book on my 'to be read'. Not to mention the promise rings too." Your glance at the silver wrapping around your finger, amber and saffron imbedded into it. "I told you so many times I didn't need anything, let alone something that would've costed so much."
Akito shrugs casually. "There's no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to you."
"And there's a thing called being financially irresponsible..."
"I'm managing my money carefully, I swear." He pledges with breathless laughter. "I assure you it wasn't expensive, I promise. I'm going to give you the world when I go professional, anyways." He fishes for something out of his bag, something small and wrapped with colourful paper.
"This feels like a book." You comment instantly, it's easy to identify when you've received so many for your birthday.
Akito shrugs again in response. "Check it, then."
You oblige to his words, unwrapping the package in a manner that didn't make a mess on the train. Your guess was correct, it is a book. Only this time with an unrecognisable title and author— it didn't have either. It was white, with nothing else.
Another shrug, and you decide not to bother asking anymore questions. You turn to the first page.
Table of contents. This time you recognise the titles.
Because they belong to none other than you.
"You printed it out all of this?" You've re-read your writing constantly, whether it be proof-reading or trying to figure out how to elevate your prose. But when it's in your hands in the form of a book instead of the words you type up on your laptop, it feels surreal, maybe even a bit wrong. It's everything you've sent and shown him, whether it be fan fiction, attempts at poetry, extracts of screenplays, or snippets from future novels you plan on publishing.
"'Course I did. You love books, I love you and your writing." Akito says it all the time, always being the first person to read your works, sending a plethora of text messages about his thoughts on them.
You inspect the contents of the book, and as he said it's all your work. But, pale highlighter adorns the pages, black ink decorating in between lines, hearts and even more words committed to paper.
The imagery here is gorgeous here. I love these words especially ->
Although I can't and don't, I feel like I can relate to this character, the way you express their internal thoughts and actions makes me feel like I've become them
Why is he so adorable?? The dialogue is so sweetly comforting.
I think this one's my favourite. It was super cute. Short and simple but enough to make me smile all day.
You turn to another story, this one with a darker premise.
This hurts so much ╥﹏╥ Internal monologue is a 11/10 (as always)
SCREW YOU SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING
This one's my new favourite. Thanks for making me cry
(my tear stains) Small arrows point towards (formerly) wet patches on the page, the evidence left there shocks you.
"You actually cried? And annotated your tears?" Not once, but multiple times, on each work that connoted anything sad.
"Love, your writing, just like you, makes me feel a lot. It's not often I cry, you know." He leans in to kiss you on the cheek. "Hope my annotations did it some justice."
Each comment makes you smile irresistibly, whether it was a serious paragraph breaking down and analysing specific moments or 'someone cooked here.' being scrawled. No details were missed by him, ones that you assumed were too subtle and therefore unnecessary because no one in your comments noticed them.
"You noticed all of this? None of my friends or readers did."
"Of course I did. I've read everything over and over again and love you too much to miss any of those details."
"And every note at the end is synonymous for 'new favourite'." It's not a complaint, it's quite adorable really, watching him struggle to make up his mind. "You even compiled your favourite quotes at the end? You think my stuff is quoteworthy?"
"How could I not? Heck, I don't think an anthology is enough. I need it tattooed somewhere on me." A gasp severs his words. "I know exactly what I'm going to do on my eighteenth birthday."
"Don't. Think about it." But the prospect of him loving your prose enough to permanently etch it into your skin makes you smile. "But seriously. This is beautiful, thank you." You're not sure why it feels so different, despite Akito always texting you these sorts of comments. Perhaps it was it's physical manifestation that had evoked so much emotion.
"I remember, when I first opened up to you."
And so do you. It was certainly awkward, with a plentiful amount of tears and uncertainty. But in the end you found yourself comprehending Akito and his character more, which was worth any sort of unpleasantries.
"You ended up analysing every song I covered or wrote. And you still do. I kept those notebooks with me, and read them whenever I felt worried. It's you. You're the reason why I can listen to recordings of myself without wanting to hide. Took me a while, but without you I wouldn't've achieved it."
You peer up at him, as he gazes at the train's roof, reminiscing those memories. You had contemplated for so long, wondering whether that act would've truly done anything, whilst worrying about embarrassing yourself. Now, being able to admire the peaceful expression he wore, you can easily say you have no regrets.
"I wanted to do the same for you. I didn't like how you weren't able to see the perfection your writing held." Akito's hand reaches for yours. "I know what it's like. To hate your own art because of what other people say and growing fearful of another's opinion, or how subjectivity doesn't seem to be in your favor. It's suffocating, that's why you mean the whole world to me for freeing me of that insecurity." He bites his lip, a method he relies on to quell any strong emotion.
He's spot on. The words of others are equally as capable of hurting as they are uplifting. It's common advice to not heed any mind to others, but when it comes to writing it always felt necessary to you. No matter how well you wrote to satisfy yourself, it didn't mean anything if no one else liked it; it meant no sales, meaning no money, which only meant that writing was an invalid career for the future unless it pleased others.
Even if it weren't a professional pursuit, it doesn't feel like something one can establish its value, at least, not without the validation of others.
"You were the lens I needed to see the beauty in myself. And I want to be the one you need."
You smile, planting a kiss on his lips. "Think you already are."
Akito sighs with a grin, "Then, I can die happy now."
A playful, gentle, slap hits his shoulder. "Quit being so overdramatic."
"What? Would've been a waste if the best author in the entirety of human history didn't get to see how amazing them and their writing were."
"Now you're just hyperbolising everything."
He pokes you in the cheek. "I see you smiling."
"Because of how ridiculous you are." You thank the train for being empty tonight, otherwise you wouldn't have the freedom of quarreling. "You're an idiot. Sometimes."
"And I still think having one of your quotes tattooed onto me would be a good idea."
Akito's persistent, even when it came to things that appeared to be mere jokes. "That's so random—? No you're not getting any of my writing tattooed onto you."
"Fine, but left pec or right pec?"
"Oh my god." Though you scold him, the rest dissolves into breathless laughter, as he pulls you in for a hug.
He scatters kisses all over your face, as you savour the warmth of his body. "Happy birthday, love."
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