X-uno - Vyl

HE'S SO CUTE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

blossoming adoration. (xiangli yao x rover!reader)

xiangli yao doesn’t pride himself on his intelligence. in fact, he doesn’t like it when other people treat him differently because of it. he’s the principal investigator of huaxu academy, that much is obvious, but he never demands any kind of special treatment for it. always so humble and gentle with everything he does, it's no wonder a lot of his colleagues admire him.

outside of his duties at the academy, xiangli yao is also the caretaker of the moontree lodge during the moon-chasing festival. however, he doesn’t want to take the credit for his own hardwork either. the smiles he gets to witness and the laughs that he’s fortunate to hear whenever he's able to fulfill someone’s wish are enough for him, he says. luckily, nobody else (aside from you) knows about this side hustle of his. most people have seen xiang-lee and patty but never him.

yes, he’s content with that. content with working behind the scenes.

so why is it different with you?

why does he get this sudden urge to show off his prowess in front of you?

when he showed you one of xiang-lee’s features, you immediately patted the floating robot’s head, much to his surprise. feeling flustered by the idea of you patting his head, he splutters. you manage to catch the ever so composed xiangli yao by surprise, what a feat.

“sorry, i couldn’t help it…” you chuckle awkwardly as you apologize, unsure if you offended him or not.

“ahem, it’s fine.” coughing into his hand, he feels his cheeks heat up. out of all the things he expects you to do, he didn't expect that one.

internally chastising himself, he finally regains his composure. xiangli yao looks at the screen in front of him while your radiant self looks back at him (well, at xiang-lee actually) with a smile, waiting for further instructions from his end. something about you draws him in. maybe it's your kindness? your humility? or maybe it's something else entirely. he can't draw concrete conclusions for now.

similar to the countless scientific theses he has studied, each individual is a complex enigma to him, you included. he wants to unravel the mystery that is you, but there's also something within his chest that threatens to swallow him whole. it's much more foreign than anything he has felt before.

the value of human connection has never been lost on him, and so he welcomes it.

even though he's hesitant to act on these newfound feelings of his (for now), he can’t help but stare at you for a few more seconds nonetheless. your eyes are captivating; your eyelashes accentuating them even more, he notes.

he thinks he can look at you forever.

he shakes off the thought hastily.

“hello? sol-3 to xiangli yao? are you there?” you wave your hand in front of xiang-lee.

“oh! yes, i am. the connection was unstable for a bit so i fixed it. i apologize if i worried you.” a little white lie here and there never hurt anybody sometimes, right? you don’t need to know how he’s acting like a school boy with a crush over you. not now, at least.

“good, i thought i lost you there for a moment.” you breath a sigh of relief.

maybe the next time you and him meet up again he should put a petal or a leaf on his head. will you remove it and pat his head the way that you did with xiang-lee then?

somehow, he finds himself entertaining that thought, fondly smiling to himself unknowingly.

note: HES SO CUTE GUYS.......... i love he.................. xiangli yao the shoujo man that you are........ while im not really much of a writer, i just had to whip up something short and sweet for him!!! ive already read his leaked stories and voicelines so i hope he wasnt too ooc in this lol if he is pls spare my feelings and look away /j

Lucifer (Hazbin Hotel) X Fem-Reader - Sinless Sinners - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Hell's Assumptions

A/N – Okay, I think that’s everyone on the tagging list. So, here’s to Chapter 4. Raise a glass.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

MALE VERSION HERE

GN VERSION HERE

Tag-List: @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx@sseleniaa@randomgurl2326@22carolina08@astrxwitch@yu-87 @clover-1767 @lil-bexie @thesimpybitch @reverse-soe

People were staring.

The worst part was, you weren’t sure who they were staring at, you or Lucifer. It could have easily been him since he was the King of Hell, and even those who didn’t immediately recognise him could sense the power he exuded. However, it was just as likely that they were looking at you and wondering who you were, and how you had managed to get their ruler to walk with you, especially since he wasn’t known for going out much.

Fortunately, when people saw Lucifer coming, they moved to the other side of the street, staring, whispering, taking pictures, but keeping a safe distance.

Lucifer was used to this kind of thing. He walked confidently, held a charming smile, and was generally non-plussed by the attention. You, on the other hand, felt awkward.

‘This was my idea,’ You mentally reminded yourself.

You tried to hold onto that thought as you attempted to strike up a conversation.

“So… What’s it like in the Embassy building?” You asked, quickly realising that it was a terrible topic as Lucifer’s smile became a glower.

You shouldn’t have reminded him where he was going. It was obvious he hated Heaven for their treatment of him, yet yearned for it and the life he had lost within its pearly gates where nothing went wrong for anyone.

“Sorry,” You said hurriedly. “I didn’t think- uh, nice weather we’re having?”

Lucifer smiled and shook his head. He couldn’t believe you. Only the night before, you had told him to grow up, with such confidence, and now here you were struggling for words. He bypassed the awkward situation with ease by asking, “Will you be visiting the Hotel today?”

“Oh, uh… Maybe. I would like to see everyone again. Check that Nifty hasn’t set anything on fire. Make sure that everything’s okay, and-”

You had been about to mention Angel Dust. Today was one of his work days. You would like to check that he was okay. You didn’t mention him however, with something like a confidentiality clause stopping you, though you weren’t his doctor, nor was he your patient. You didn’t want to talk about his suffering; he was more than his trauma.

Instead, you said, “I would like to check in, but maybe not today. Besides, you’ll be there tonight, won’t you?”

“Yes. I’d like to deliver the news to Charlie personally, and perhaps coach her on some of Heaven’s stricter rules.”

“Then, I think I’ll stay at the manor. I wouldn’t want to step on your toes. You and Charlie- I think you need to catch up a bit, without any interruptions. She missed you, you know.”

Lucifer ruminated on this for a minute. Whatever your motivations, he was glad that you were giving him and his daughter some space. Granted, the Hotel was large enough to house many conversations in separate areas but by making the offer of keeping your distance, you were giving Lucifer some breathing room; that was good.

Had you not made that offer, Lucifer might have brought up the topic of moving you back into the Hotel to Charlie, but in respecting his boundaries, Lucifer was starting to think that you weren’t so bad… for a Sinner.

“I missed her too.”

“Can I ask,” You said hesitantly, “What kept you away so long? You clearly think the world of her.”

Lucifer sighed, and stopped in the middle of the street, “I-”

He didn’t get to explain his absence.

Instead, he became annoyed as two Sinners, one who looked like a nine-year-old boy’s dream with bazooka arms and rocket-infused shoulders, and the other a winged bear-woman wielding a machine gun burst through the building on the opposite side of the road, waging war upon one another.

“SHIT!” You cursed, seeing the debris that threatened to crush a lone imp who hadn’t reacted quickly enough, his leg trapped under the first brick segment that fell.

Reacting quickly, you threw out your arms. A light green barrier shielded the imp from further harm, but you struggled under the weight of so much wreckage.

“MOXXIE!” A female imp yelled, running to him.

You thought she might struggle to lift the wreckage off him and were about to ask for Lucifer’s help before your barrier would inevitably crumble. Yet, the female imp was stronger than she appeared and she threw it off Moxxie. She then lifted him bridal style, and ran from the danger, shooting you a grateful look from across the street.

You gasped and shuddered as you let your arms fall, your barrier fading from existence.

“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Lucifer said as you straightened up.

“What?” You breathed heavily, recovering from the exertion; one of the weakest Demons in Hell, with your limited abilities.

“It was a nice thing to do, but what’s the point? Look around,” Lucifer threw his arms up dramatically. “Someone built something nice, and now it’s gone, all because two Sinners couldn’t take their petty power struggle somewhere else. Nobody benefits from this.”

You opened your mouth to argue but were interrupted by the same two imps you had just saved, “Hey there, I’m pretty sure my husband is delirious right now, but he wanted to come over here.”

“I’m not delirious, Millie,” Moxxie said pointedly, clinging onto her shoulder to support his weight; his leg was in all likeliness broken, but being an imp of Hell, it would heal quickly enough.

Millie looked at him sympathetically, likely thinking something along the lines of, ‘Baby, we’re the only ones on the same side of the street as His Majesty, but do what you gotta do!’

“I must thank you most humbly for your remarkable rescue in my name, good Lady,” Moxxie exclaimed pompously, probably presuming that since you were accompanied by Lucifer you were of a much higher station than you were. “Without you, I would certainly have perished, so I find it an appropriate time to extend my gratitude.”

“He means thank you,” Millie affectionately translated.

“You’re welcome,” You smiled. Then, with a small flourish of your fingers, Moxxie leg was bandaged and he was provided with a crutch to hold onto. You were no healer, but that would help the bone set correctly.

Moxxie and Millie thanked you both again, presuming that Lucifer had been part of the rescue (and in a way he was, for when the warring Demons saw him, they took their battle elsewhere), then they were gone, one limping down the street on his new crutch, and his wife offering to carry him.

“You’re wrong,” You said, once the pair were out of sight. “They benefitted.”

Lucifer didn’t know what to say about that. They were only imps. Why did you think they mattered? Yet, after watching the loving couple thank you for their rescue, Lucifer wasn’t certain that he trusted his assessment of the situation. Charlie wanted to redeem Sinners, you had just saved the lowest of all Hell’s beings and he…? He needed to reassess how he thought about things.

The two of you didn’t speak after that and Lucifer assumed that you were mad at him until you reached Heaven’s Embassy. Lucifer stared at the building, broken and hopeless, thinking about how he would have to fight for Charlie.

He was about to take the first step towards it when you rested your hand on his shoulder.

He stared at you, surprised.

“Good luck,” You proffered sympathetically. Then you walked away, and Lucifer was left staring after you. So, you weren’t mad at him after all. What a curious person you were.

He looked back to the building before him, the one place in Hell that was perfectly pristine, and unable to be harmed by anyone. After a deep breath, he headed inside.

When Lucifer returned home, he was exhausted. The meeting had been lengthy and derogatory. He had been treated with barely disguised disdain and talked in circles, but finally, Heaven had agreed to allow his daughter passage to Heaven.

It was never an option really. As the ruler of a powerful realm, Lucifer had to be treated respectfully, even if all of Heaven hated him. Yet, just because they had to acquiesce to his request didn’t mean they hadn’t tried to talk him out of it. The only good news was that it had been Sera and a few of her assistants who hosted the meeting, not that ignorant prick Adam; Lucifer hated that guy… though his taste in women had always been spectacular.

Still, it had all been worth it when he got to the hotel and Charlie thanked him and invited him to stay for a while. They had caught up over tea, and he had gotten to know a little bit more about her and her relationship with Vaggie. Lucifer likely would have stayed longer seeing as he’d also been invited to games night, but then that red-headed bastard was there, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and Lucifer had made his reasons to leave.

Now, all he wanted was to recover in peace.

On his way upstairs, he heard the long-neglected TV blaring in one of the living rooms. Feeling somewhat guilty about his unsupportive attitude towards you earlier, he decided it would probably be good for him to make amends and apologise. So, before isolating himself for the evening, he sought you out.  

You were hunched on the sofa, watching 666 News, and grimacing at the new headline, King of Hell’s New Fuckbuddy.

Lucifer stood quietly behind you, watching as Katie Killjoy reported, “While Hell will be royally fucked by the impending extermination it seems that King of Hell Lucifer is being royally fucked by his new bimbo bitch, seen walking with him today on the streets of Pentagram City.”

Security camera footage of you and Lucifer from earlier filled the screen for a minute before returning to the hosts.

“Who is this Sinner? Does Lucifer get off on Angelic clothing? We hope to find out more soon. Over to you, Tom.”

Tom Trench continued the report, much less assuredly than his co-anchor, “Nobody can say for certain they’re together. Some speculate the Demon to be his highness’ new assistant or-”

Katie clutched Tom’s neck in one hand, never looking away from the camera as she cut off his air supply, “Nobody gives a shit about your limp-dick opinion Tom. We’re all here to speculate about who’s raw-dogging who. Now, onto our cooking segment, It’s Dahm Good, with host Jeffrey who is making a delicious spleen soufflé. Jeffrey-”

“HA!” Lucifer laughed, pointing at the TV.

“Shit!” You yelped, lurching forward, having not known he’d returned home. You turned the TV off and stood to face Lucifer.

He was doubled over and wheezing at the idea that you and he would ever be together.

“Well, at least you’re not upset about this,” You grinned, finding his good mood contagious.

“What morons. They’re always just there, assuming the weirdest shit whenever I go out,” He laughed.  

“Yeah? So, it’s okay people know we’re friends?”

Lucifer straightened up with a smile. So, you classed him as a friend? He didn’t confirm or deny your assumption of friendship. He waved his hand, unbothered, “Let them think what they want to think. It’s Hell, nothing matters. Besides, 666 News is trash.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So, how did the meeting with Heaven go? Did they agree to meet with Charlie?”

Lucifer sobered up slightly, though he didn’t seem as upset as he was earlier when Heaven was mentioned, “Yes. The meeting’s in a week. Charlie is- She’s optimistic.”

“And you?”

“I- My girl can handle it.”

“Yeah, she can.”

And so it was that you and Lucifer started to find some common ground, that slowly built the gap from two people who barely knew one another, towards friends.

𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 ೃ⁀➷

ᴀʀᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛꜱ: ᴛᴀɴꜱᴜɪɪ999 ᴏɴ ᴛᴡᴛ

ᓚᘏᗢ Kenma realized and comprehended and then excepted that he has a crush on you about three months after you met.

ᓚᘏᗢ At first, he just intentionally or unintentionally stared at you, it wasn’t a creepy stare more like just watching you do stuff.

ᓚᘏᗢ You never actually noticed him staring as he would turn his head away the second you faced his way.

ᓚᘏᗢ He usually kept his interactions with you at a minimum, never actually tried to come up and talk to you unless you did first.

ᓚᘏᗢ But he listened more to people when they we’re talking about you, whether it’s something you did, things you like or anything about you in general.

ᓚᘏᗢ In a month or two he had a pretty good amount of information about you without even you telling him. In order to not seem like a total stalker he didn’t mention anything you didn’t tell him.

ᓚᘏᗢ Kuroo picked up on Kenma’s unusual interest in you first, both catching him staring and actually lifting his head up to hear things about you. Kenma quickly brushed off his ideas.

ᓚᘏᗢ His analytical and observant personality came in handy with you. He would quickly pick up on your expressions to get an idea of what you are feeling in situations.

ᓚᘏᗢ After he started to realize that he might have a crush on you, he didn’t talk to you for a week but started going back to normal after that.

ᓚᘏᗢ Kuroo gave him advice (which Kenma did not ask for) on how to flirt and make you fall for him.

ᓚᘏᗢ Slowly he actually thought of breaking out of his personality and acting different to get closer with you.

ᓚᘏᗢ But once he saw you looking off to the side with a slight blush on your cheeks, while he was being his normal self, he felt his chest feel warm.

ᓚᘏᗢ The moment where everyone else on the team realized their genius setter has a crush was when Kenma said something along the lines of “(name) would have done that.” out loud. Which was followed by Kuroo’s teasing.

SHE'S MINE | 01

I'M ALL IN, I CAN'T REVERSE IT-

synopsis ┊ thrust into the spotlight, ken sato had easily become the next big thing tokyo had seen in decades. alongside his fame came the inevitable string of rumors, of which sprung forth scandals and discrediting information against his image. of course the obvious and most rational solution would be to address them like every other celebrity, but this was ken sato; nothing would ever be rational with him, which is how you wound up with a ring on your finger and the sato name in your papers. 

genre ┊ fake dating, fake marriage, idiots-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, slight angst, chaotic fluff, mild smut

pairing ┊ ken sato x fem-PA!reader, ken sato x fake-wife!reader

warnings ┊ mild cursing, eventual smut, mentions of alcohol, all events in ultraman: rising take place a year after kenji moves back to japan

word count ┊  3.2k

author’s note ┊ WOOHOO part one finally out! thank you so much for all the love on the prologue, it made me so motivated to make this as good as possible hehe >.< each chapter title is based off of a lyric in my writing playlist for this series, lmk if you guys would like me to drop it  ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶. happy reading!

KEN KNEW HE WAS IN DEEP SHIT. Knee deep, even. If you asked him what was going through his head thirty seconds ago, he wouldn’t be able to tell you even if he wanted to. Everything that happened next was a blur- from shaking hands with the host to walking back to his dressing room, it felt like he was operating on autopilot. Who wouldn’t be, though? He had just announced to the world that he was officially taken; that he was off the market- hooked. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a problem if it were true…

But it wasn’t. 

He had just lied to an audience of a hundred people- not to mention the millions throughout the various streaming platforms the show was being aired on. His nails dug into his palm as he neared his dressing room, the bold, black letters of his name growing larger and larger each step he took. His heart was pounding, and he swore he felt chill down his spine the moment he opened the door. No one could blame him though, not if they knew the inevitable wrath they were about to face. 

You were stood there, eyes narrowed and resting all your weight on your hip. Your arms were crossed, your lips were pursed. The two of you stayed like that for a few moments, staring at each other as you waited for the other to speak up. Ken swallowed nervously, tapping his foot as he tried formulating an explanation. He wasn’t entirely sure as to why he was so overstrung, it was just you. Why should he be terrified of your scolding on his recent screw up? 

“Special someone, huh?” You said through your teeth, finally breaking the tense silence in the room. “So special that nobody on your team knew of her prior to your public love confession?” 

Ah. That was why. The way you were able to see right through him scared him sometimes. He never outwardly showed his reactions, though- at least he tried not to. He cleared his throat before finally moving to plop down on the couch, doing his damndest not to show his jitters. 

“Yeah, yeah whatever. I lied, so what?” He replied, his cocky tone masking the unsureness in his words. “It’s not the first time I’ve done it.” 

Strike one. As if you couldn’t have been any more pissed off, that seemed to be the tipping point. You paused before letting out a deep breath, circling around him. He closed his eyes when he knew you were behind him, and he waited for you to berate him; to remind him of the consequences of his actions. He waited, but it never came. He opened one eye, and he relaxed when you moved to sit on the opposite couch. He was spared… for now.

“What, no scolding?” He decided to test, tilting his head to the side as he watched you. 

You only let out a small laugh, and somehow that was worse than any scolding he’d ever received from you. You were oddly calm, like all your anger had just melted away. Leaning forward, you slid an enclosed piece of paper across the table towards him. 

“Can you guess what this is, Ken?” You ask, your eyes finally looking back up to meet his. 

Ken knew not to answer. He was ready to spit out some witty reply, but the look in your eyes told him that this was going to go down another route; one that he definitely didn’t want to aggravate. 

“It’s my resignation letter.” You say nonchalantly, causing him to straighten up once more. “I keep it handy.”

Resignation letter? Was this real? Were you actually going to quit over this? He opened his mouth to speak up but quickly shut it when you maintained your soul-searching gaze. He tried to relax, yet the furrow in his eyebrows seemed to stay as you continued on. 

“I’m going to be very clear on what’s going to happen next, Ken.” You say, resting your arms on your knees. “This will be the last time I help you clear up a mishap. After everything is settled, I’m gone.” 

Gone. His eyes widened slightly, the palms of his hands starting to get clammy. He let out a light, nervous laugh, looking at you as if you had just said something absurd. Which, in his defense, you sort of did. Again, he had no idea why this news was so shocking to him, seeing as you’d only worked under him for a year and a half. Surely he couldn’t have been that terrible, right? He stared at the folded paper in front of him before speaking up.

“What, uh, what do you mean gone?” He asked through a breathy laugh. “Gone like a break or something? I’m happy to give you one-”

“Gone as in I quit.” You cut him off, standing up as you adjusted the sleeves of your shirt. “Like I said, this is the last time I clean up your mess, Ken Sato.” 

You moved to walk away, but he quickly caught your arm. “Woah, hold on a sec,” He stood up, looking down at you with stunned eyes. “Quit? C’mon, [Y/N] I know I screwed up but you can’t just leave me hanging like this-” 

You scoffed at him then, yanking your arm out of his grasp. “Oh I can’t leave you hanging, huh? Tell me, Ken, how many times have I saved your ass in the last eighteen months I’ve been working for you, hm?”

He swallowed dryly as he tried to recall. He was used to having his name on headlines, most especially after his move last year. He couldn’t go five seconds without seeing his ads pop up on his platforms, hell he couldn’t even go five blocks without seeing a billboard with his face on it. Which all brought him back to one thing: not one negative scandal under his name. With you, he was perfect; jack of all trades in the MLB and the internet’s favorite spokesperson. 

Shit. Strike two. 

You only hummed in response once you read over his expression. “Exactly. So the next time you even think about downplaying my job, remember how I was the reason for your recent success.”

Ken was at a loss for words. Rarely was he ever left speechless, he always seemed to have a response ready for anything. But now was definitely not one of those times. He watched as you bent down to retrieve that dreaded letter, and you shoved it into his chest before moving to finally walk past him. 

“Our flight leaves tomorrow at five a.m, I'll see you in the lobby at three.” You say, not so much as sparing him a glance as you fixed your bag. 

He managed to let out a quiet ‘okay’, gripping onto your letter tightly as he watched you pack up. Damn Ken, you really did it this time, didn’t you? He thought to himself, wondering how- or rather, if he would be able to make things right with you. For the first time in his career, he was thinking about someone else other than himself. 

“Oh and Ken,” You say, breaking him out of his dazed stance. 

“Hm?” He hummed out, averting his gaze to be level with yours. 

“You had better pray that the next assistant you get is half as good as I am.” You said before closing the door, leaving him alone in his dressing room. All of a sudden it felt… quiet. Too quiet. He sighed, dropping down on the couch once more before closing his eyes and masking his face with his hands.

Strike three. 

THE TENSION IN THE CAR WAS PAINSTAKINGLY PALPABLE. Ken’s leg bounced as the two of you were stuck in airport traffic, the car unmoving for nearly half an hour now. Your occasional sighs and the hum of the car’s engine were the only sounds filling the air. He felt like he was going crazy. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly the night before thanks to your bombshell of an announcement. In comparison, though, he probably shouldn’t be complaining about bombshells when he himself dropped one twice the size of yours. 

Still, he was restless. You hadn’t uttered a single word to him since landing back in Tokyo, and the unwanted solitude was driving him nuts. He glanced over at you through his shades, noting the way you were impatiently tapping your fingers against the wheel. Obviously you were still pissed at his little stunt, and the articles following the incident didn’t aid in calming your anger. 

He knew it wasn’t smart, but he needed to talk to you. The sea of red lights in front of him remained stagnant, and he didn’t want to spend another minute in this deafening quietude. He gnawed at his bottom lip before finally breaking the silence. 

“Can we talk?” He said, looking over at you. 

“No.” You replied bluntly.

“[Y/N]-” He started, but one glance from you was enough to shut him up. 

“I am doing you a huge favor by helping you solve the mess you created.” You said as you looked back at the road ahead of you, lifting your fingers and circling your thumbs around the wheel. “I could’ve left right then and there, leaving you to deal with this on your own. But I didn’t, I don’t know why, but I didn’t.”

You looked back up at him, and only now did he notice the circles under your eyes and the paleness of your complexion. Something inside him twisted; he couldn’t tell if it was guilt or regret. Guilt, probably, for having to rely on you to correct his mistakes, and regret for even causing this whole debacle in the first place. 

“The least I’m asking from you is your compliance.” You say tiredly, the glint in your eyes doing most of the talking. 

“Yeah, okay. Sorry.” He managed to get out, leaning back into the passenger seat. 

And just like that, the dreaded silence was back. By some miracle the traffic started to gain some speed, the taillights of the cars ahead of him dispersing onto the road. His head hit the back of the headrest, and he sat through the entire ride back to the Tokyo Dome contemplating his recent choices. 

It was only when you knocked on the window of the passenger side when he realized he had finally reached his destination. He got out, stretching his limbs after being cramped inside the car for so long. He threw on his jacket lazily, not even bothering to zip it up. He went to put on his cap, but then he noticed something odd. 

It was quiet outside the building, the bristle of the trees and the nearby roads the only sound filling his ears. There was something lacking; the neverending shuttering sounds of cameras and eager voices yelling at him to look or to say something. He realized then the lack of paparazzi and reporters outside to greet him, just like they usually did whenever he came back from a trip. His head turned, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked around. Not a single one in sight.

“‘Something wrong?” You asked as you walked past him to swipe your ID into the security system. 

“It’s just,” He said, still looking around in confusion. He let out an airy laugh as he followed you inside, the expression on his face remaining the same. “There’s no paps or anything.”

At that you laugh, albeit sarcastically, waiting for him to get into the elevator. “You know that might be the first time I’ve ever heard a famous person complain about not being bombarded by ill-intent people.” 

“I’m not complaining, trust me.” He says, putting his hands up halfway in defense. “It’s weird. That’s all.” 

“Well that’s what happens when people think you’re spending time with your special someone after being away for so long.” You say, pulling up a press announcement on your phone. 

For a split second, Kenji had completely forgotten that he had to keep up the fact that he supposedly had a significant other waiting for him at home. He let out an ‘ah’, sliding his hands into his pockets as the elevator went up. Again his heart panged, finally realizing why your eyebags were deeper than they usually were. While he may have had discomfort in his slumber, it didn’t compare to the hours you were up trying to get everything settled here.

You held the door open to your office, letting him in first. Once the lights were on, he was greeted with your infamous whiteboard, different scribbles of colorful ink filling up the space corner to corner. He cringed at the bolded date of the talk show he was on. 

“Your bags will be sent here in the next hour, and valet has your bike ready.” You say, doing the usual routine you did whenever the both of you came back from work trips. He sat down on the sofa, nodding each time you reminded him of something. 

“Now, about the issue,” You walk over to the whiteboard, erasing its contents. “We need to find you a fake girlfriend.” 

He choked on nothing, not surprised by the news but surprised by the continued bluntness of your tone. “I beg your pardon?”

“We need to find you a fake girlfriend.” You repeated, emphasizing the words obnoxiously. 

“Yeah I get that,” He finally replied, a look of uncertainty splashing his features. “But you’re making it sound like all we need to do is shop around.”

“Well unless you can give me a face, let alone a name to your special someone, this is the plan we have.” You retort, resting a hand at your hip as the other points at the board. 

“Why can’t I just be one of those celebrities who keep their relationship private?” He questions genuinely. 

“Oh I’m sorry, who was the one who announced that they were in love on live television?” You remind him, annoyance laced in your words. 

He bites back any sort of sarcastic remark that conjures up in the back of his head. You were right, obviously you were right. But some part of him felt it was… unfair to not have a say in this. Stupid, yes, but it’s how he felt.

“Can I continue or is there anything else you want to unnecessarily add?” You ask, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. 

He only lifted a hand, signaling for you to carry on. You go on to explain that whoever ends up “dating” him will need to have to go through a contract signing, NDA included. You draw up charts on your board, showing him the possible stats of his ratings if he’ll be able to pull this off. 

“Your next playoff season is about to start, I suggest we get all this settled by then.” You scroll on your smartwatch, looking at the calendar. “It gives me two weeks to plan everything out. I need you here tomorrow bright and early so that we can go through a list of potential candidates.”

“Candidates? What is this, speed-dating?” He says, making a face at all the analytical parts of your plan. 

“No, it’s a game called ‘save-my-reputation.’” You answer snarkily, narrowing your eyes slightly at him. 

He takes in a deep breath, starting to get annoyed with your remarks. He knew he had no right to, but to think that you were just dictating away at his choices made him feel like some sort of plaything. 

“I just don’t understand why we even need to find a ‘girlfriend’ in the first place.” He massages the back of his head before crossing his arms. “I mean everyone thinks I’ve successfully hidden my love life up until now, what’s the point of going all out?”

He could see you clench your fingers around the marker, and he knew he was close to reaching your tipping once more. All in the span of twenty-four hours. You pinched the bridge of your nose before you spoke up.

“Ken. You told the world that you were in love.” You say in an eerily calm tone. “You got yourself into this mess, now you have to get yourself out of it. And unless you want to say goodbye to your stardom, this is what you need to do.” 

He opened his mouth to speak up but was cut off by your phone’s ringing. You answered, spewing out a quick and formal ‘thank you’ to whoever was on the other line. You sighed, placing your marker back down on your desk before you walked past him towards the glass door. 

“Your bags are here.” You say, opening the door. “Your bike’s parked outside and everything should be good to go.” 

Your demeanor had changed in a split second, going from PR manager to assistant in the blink of an eye. At times Ken wondered how you were able to juggle everything. It wasn’t the main thing that was on his mind, he had… other, more serious things to worry about. Like the other secret he had kept from you all this time; Ultraman. He shook his head, trying not to focus on his double life on top of the situation he was in. 

Ken knew that your words were a sign to get up and get out, and he did just that. You followed him all the way back down to the lobby of the stadium, handing him his duffel bag and walking him to his bike. Despite your earlier mood, you did your checks on his motorbike that he had grown accustomed to after a while. 

“Tomorrow, bright and early.” You remind him, crossing your arms as he got on his bike. “Please.”

“Tomorrow, bright and early.” He repeats through a huff, slinging his bag into the compartment attached to the back of his motorbike. “Got it.” 

You only hummed in response, turning away to walk back into the stadium. He didn’t know what it was that came over him, but before he knew it he was grabbing your arm softly once more. Your head spun around to look at him, more of your stray hairs spilling out of your updo. At this angle the sunset brought out the shininess of your eyes, the early evening shadows accentuating your features. 

He swallowed before he continued. “You know for what it’s worth, I really am sorry.” 

Instead of another curt response, though, you sighed as you pressed your lips together. He lets go of your arm then, not wanting to invade anymore of your personal space than he already has. He can see you poke your tongue into your cheek, a habit you did when you were in contemplation. 

“Well,” You finally breathe out, your expression relaxing. “If you’re actually as sorry as you say you are, you’ll do as I say.” 

“‘Course.” He says before his face gets obscured by his helmet. He nods towards your direction once more before finally revving the engine. 

Only time will tell what the outcome is, but whatever it is, he hopes he ends up in the one where you don’t loathe his very being. 

reyalvr © 2024 … do not repost, alter, or steal my work.

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MORE THAN THAT — ROBERT CHASE

masterlist

pairing: robert chase x reader

description: when one of your best friends turns up at the hospital with her daughter unwell, you introduce chase as your colleague. considering you’ve been seeing each other for nearly five months now, he does not like that one bit. [based on a request]

warnings: swearing, a tiny bit of sad!chase so hurt/comfort, fluff galore after that

author’s note: robert chase i <3 u ! this was based on a request for insecure chase so i hope this was ok!

“Y/N!” your best friend cried out for your attention as she saw you and Chase approaching down the hospital corridor, “Hi, hi— Lola is with a doctor now, Mark’s in there with her because I was away for work so I only just got here.”

You frowned immediately, worried about what might be wrong with her daughter — your goddaughter.

“Is she alright?” you pouted, hoping it was nothing serious. You were so used to dealing with life-or-death situations that you tended to catastrophise, “Do you need me to convince House to help?”

She shook her head with a small smile, “No, no, she’s okay. Stomach pain but it’s nothing serious, she’s had a few tests and it’s just a bug. She’s being discharged this afternoon, I just wanted to be here with her.”

You heaved out a sigh of relief, pulling her into a hug, “Thank god. What room is she in? We’ve got some files to drop off really quickly and then we’ll come and see her—, oh, sorry, I’ve not introduced you guys.”

You glanced across at Chase now, who looked shy now that he had finally been brought face-to-face with your lifelong best friend.

You’d been together for almost five months now, and he’d not met any of your friends from outside of the hospital.

He already worried that you were embarrassed by him, but you were both so busy that he’d eventually let himself resign to the fact that that was probably why.

“Y/B/F, this is my colleague Dr. Chase,” you gestured between them, emphasising the word colleague because your best friend knew about the mysterious doctor you were dating and you wanted to gently let her know it was him, “Dr. Chase, this is Y/B/F, my best friend since we were literally crawling.”

Chase looked down at the floor for a moment, shifting on the balls of his feet uncomfortably.

“Hi, it’s lovely to meet you,” he forced a tiny smile that you recognised immediately was false, but Y/B/F was smiling broadly enough for the three of you now.

“Amazing to meet you, Dr. Chase. I’ve heard great things about you,” you sent her a shut the fuck up look at that, not wanting to give away that she knew about you, and not realising that Chase had been relieved when he’d heard that, “One of the best doctors here, hm.”

That sunk his heart again — were you really so embarrassed by dating a work colleague that you couldn’t even tell your best friend?

He gulped awkwardly, chuckling, “Ah, thank you. Not at all, though. Well, I’d better get on.”

“Not without me,” you touched his arm, smiling softly up at him before returning your gaze to your friend, “I’ll see you in fifteen, OK?”

“See you in a bit, Y/N. Lovely to meet you Dr. Chase. Hopefully I’ll see you again very soon!”

As soon as she began to disappear down the corridor, you headed back to your office with a sad looking Chase at your side. You didn’t pry until the door to your office was closed behind you.

“Babe, what’s the matter?” you frowned, hand rubbing up his arm soothingly as he looked at you like a kicked puppy, “Sorry if that was awkward.”

“Nothing, no it was fine,” he mumbled, pretending to busy himself with looking at the papers he’d been carrying, “She’s nice.”

You narrowed your eyes confusedly, “You seem upset, please tell me what’s up. I’m sorry if you felt uncomfortable.”

He shook his head, “I just… I—,” he seemed to be contemplating whether or not to be honest with you, and your brows furrowed further in concern as he sat down on the edge of your desk defeatedly and placed down his files, “Are you embarrassed by me, Y/N?”

Your heart lurched at that, practically breaking at the notion he would even consider that you would be embarrassed by him.

“Embarrassed? Why on earth would I be embarrassed by you?” you flew to stand right in front of him, watching his glossy eyes avoid contact with yours briefly.

He shrugged sadly, “I just— I figured you must be if you won’t even introduce me to your best friend. Well, not as more than your colleague, as you so kindly emphasised.”

You let out a small gasp, “Oh, babe, no! I emphasised colleague because she does know that we are far more than that so I wanted to subtly let her know you were you. I just didn’t feel like in the busy corridors of work was the best place to talk about it properly… I was going to invite her and her husband Mark over for dinner with us next week so you could meet them properly.”

He looked up at you hopefully now, his racing heartbeat thudding in his ears as he saw the sincerity of your expression.

“You’re not just saying that to be nice?”

“Robert, why the hell would I be embarrassed to be dating you? You’re amazing,” you leaned to peck his lips quickly, “I’ve told Y/B/F everything since our first date… She just works away a lot so I’ve not had a chance to have a proper introduction.”

You could see the relief practically wash over him as his hands snaked around your waist, “Well now I feel embarrassed for being so awkward.”

You leaned in closer to him, pushing his hair from his face and cupping his cheeks to kiss him gently again. He held you close to him, deepening the kiss for a moment.

“Don’t be, I can see how it would come across like I was deliberately avoiding telling her, so I’m sorry,” you twirled his hair around your fingers at the back of his neck, “I’ve been desperate for her to meet you as my boyfriend. I just thought you might find it awkward in the middle of the hospital corridor. I didn’t want it to be too much.”

His thumb caressed the base of your back comfortingly as he stared into your eyes, “It’s alright. Now I understand why she said, ‘hopefully I’ll see you again very soon’, because that did confuse me.”

You laughed, “Yeah, I can see how ominous that sounds… She’s been really excited to meet you. I think you and Mark will get on really well, too. I can’t believe you’d think I’m embarrassed by you… I’m punching so hard.”

He pulled a face, “Are you kidding me? You’re perfect, Y/N. I’m the one punching. And lucky for me I have House to remind me of that every single day so i don’t forget it.”

You chuckled at that, knowing how much stick he got from House for your relationship and how often House would tease him about you being out of his league.

“Uh, I see that and I raise you the fact that pretty much weekly when we’re on a case together someone asks me if you’re single,” you scoffed, thinking of all the times patients and their family or friends had cornered you for your boyfriend’s number, “Although I do get a lot of satisfaction out of telling them you’re not. Just wish it wasn’t unprofessional to tell them you’re alllll mine.”

The exuberance in your words warmed his heart, pleased that you were just as proud to be his as he was to be yours.

In the time you’d been together, he’d fallen completely and utterly head over heels for you.

“All yours, huh,” he smirked smugly, pulling you closer by your waist so that your noses touched from the proximity, “I like that.”

You smirked back, kissing him once more and taking a step back, “Mhm.”

He stood up straight now as you moved away, “Sorry for getting so weird, I just got a little worried.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologise for, baby,” you shook your head, biting your lip as his expression had fallen a little, “But you’ve also got nothing to worry about. I love you. And I’ll tell that to anyone who’s willing to listen.”

At that, he was beaming again.

You’d not exchanged I love yous yet, but to have you say it first had made his fucking day — given that he’d been fighting the urge to tell you that for weeks now.

“I love you too, Y/N,” he grinned, watching your every movement with intensity, “More than anything.”

“I really wish the day was almost over, I just want to spend time with you now,” you pouted exaggeratedly, knowing that you wouldn’t be working with him for the rest of the day, “But I’ll see you later, yeah? Gotta go check on Lola.”

He nodded, “See ya later gorgeous. I love you.”

“I love you too, pretty boy.”

———

thanks for reading !!! i feel like this was total dogshit but i saw the request and kinda ran with it lol please let me know what you thought :-)

here is my masterlist! feel free to request too <3