𝑚 𝑒 𝑡 𝑎 𝑛 𝑜 𝑖 𝑎 // JJK x reader

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒

You grimaced in pain as you shifted your position, keeping your eyes shut for a short amount of time to get rid of the pulsing of your hip with long breaths, just concentrating on those instead. When you opened them again, you saw that Nanami was studying your face intensely, his eyes narrowed.

"You really need some rest. I know you're still hurt, and you still didn't tell me why you're even here?" He didn't want to pressure you to answer his question, but he was actually curious to know what happened, why you were hurt and why Shoko didn't tell him either of those things.

It must have been really late at night, and even if she healed you, you were still not at full health – not at all – and the exhaustion finally took a toll on you. You couldn't think straight, and the thought of lying to him came to your mind once more, but you couldn't do it. Because he did it again – he was just being friendly.

Your confidence in this mission was wavering, you could almost feel yourself getting weaker and weaker by the politeness and just natural kindness that this place held, even if you didn't belong here at all.

And even though you planned to steal from them, not caring for them in any way, shape or form, they still offered you help and a safe haven to get better.

In your unmoving silence he had not gotten the response he wanted, but he wouldn't press on even more since it seemed as if you really didn't want to talk about it and you averted your sight outside. You stared at the pale moonlight bouncing of small leaves, the trees silently swaying in the night breeze and you kept your lips sealed.

"I guess you don't want to talk about it, hm?" he hinted, but his gaze softened as your eyes met, "Do you want to join me here at the desk and we just talk about something else? Or you could just keep me company while I finish up my notes, if you can't sleep."

Was this a bad idea? You couldn't decide whether you wanted this or not – It was nice to have company, but your heart grew heavy thinking that this really was something you shouldn't do and that this seemed like betrayal for the 'family' that got you back on your feet in the last few years.

You hummed, tired of running your mind about decisions that were already settled in your head. All you wanted right now was something or someone to take your mind off the things that happened, and keeping someone company couldn't hurt. You didn't have to tell him anything, you could just sit there and watch him write.

He reached back and pulled over the small office chair, rolled it up to his desk beside his own and with a small smile, he casually pointed towards the cushion for you to sit down. You pushed yourself off the wall and wearily stumbled over to him. Hesitantly, you returned his friendly expression while guilt already crept up your insides and you sat down next to him.

Both of you just sat there, you were watching him put down letter after letter as your mouth stood open in awe of the personal touch he gave each and every word. About half an hour later, you were still staring at the paper in front of him and mindlessly reached out with your hand to touch his forearm.

A lazy smirk plastered on your tired face as you whispered more to yourself than to him.

"Your handwriting looks so beautiful..." You rested your chin on your intertwined fingers as you admired every little letter on the paper sheet. "Thank you. People always tell me that if I'd write faster then I didn't have to stay up so late, but I think I just like to take my time to make it look neat and organized, rather than have it look rushed."

His half-lidded eyes set on yours, the dark circles underneath them now looking very prominent in the low light that was illuminating his figure. They sparkled slightly, as if they were glassy from concentrating on something for too long, and his low chuckle rumbled through the silence that lingered between you both before he continued quietly.

"I guess that's why I'm still sitting here, writing in the middle of the night." His words made you your smile wider and you had to stifle a giggle that could have awoken somebody if you were not careful enough. "I always preferred working at night more than in the daytime. I just love the absolute tranquility of being up when the whole world is sleeping." you replied.

You really did. The world was silent and you were awake, nobody bothered you, nobody wanted anything from you and everything is settled in the gloomy darkness that enveloped the city around you.

The most beautiful thing though, was when the night got even darker just minutes before sunrise, the stars and the lights of the streets twinkled in the distance for one last time.

It was as if all the unanswered questions that floated upon you, vanished with the first rays of the sun that scared away the shadows that were still hidden in darkness. 

"You're right. The peaceful atmosphere at 2 a.m. is like no other." he muttered, his lips still turned up as he averted his eyes back to the notes in front of him.

You had to admit it, the sound of just listening to the faint scratching of the pen, the rustling of the paper and his steady breathing beside you was acting like a lullaby for you. The quiet noises made your eyelids heavier than you anticipated and every once in a while they fell, leaving you half-asleep with your head slowly sinking down.

After quite some time you weren't able to hold them open any longer, and you drifted off into a deep slumber. You slid down on the desk, your head now buried between your arms as the dreams took over and your breathing shallowed.

Long, slow, deep breaths let your upper body rise and sink steadily as Nanami noticed that you were finally getting the rest you needed and a warm feeling inside his chest spread when he looked at you.

Calm and relaxed, fallen asleep right next to him. He couldn't help but enjoy this very moment, even if he had to finish work so he also could head to bed.

He couldn't let you stay there, crumbled up with an injured hip, and he decided to scoop you into his arms silently, careful not to wake you and carried you to your room. Setting you down on the bed smoothly, he pulled the thin bedsheets over your curled up body and quietly retreated into his own bedroom.

Sinking into the mattress, his thoughts circled around you – a mysterious person showing up randomly, hurt and restless, but still beautiful and intriguing nonetheless.