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dreaming-catnip · 11 months ago

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I'm hooked! 🤩🥰

Subaru Mini Fic Pt 2

Pairing: MC/Reader x Subaru Kagami

Tags: SFW. Slight-ish(?) angst, misunderstanding, Subaru's all-around oblivious. Sorta mean Frostheim gen students (eventually). Leo's an asshole (currently). Ends in fluff.

Summary: When Subaru receives a confession letter asking him to meet up in person, all signs point to it being from you. Unsure of his feelings, Haku and Zenji encourage him to go for it, but will you be the one to show up at the Ethereal Spring?

Subaru's mind was still afflicted by thoughts of you as he walked the corridors of Darkwick's main building heading for Sho's food truck to meet you and Lyca. Haku's words rang clear in his head, swimming around with the idea of having to reject you in a matter of hours. How was he even going to get through lunch with you? A part of him wished he hadn't done the only thing that could confirm your ownership over the letter.

"Reject?"

"Well," Haku started, "Zenji's right. If you don't feel the same about MC, you're gonna have to reject them. And I know you can be shy but don't even think about not showing up. I won't let you. Whatever you decide I'll support, but come what may, you'll be going to the Ethereal Spring tomorrow."

Subaru looked down at his hands on his lap, his eyebrows creasing. "What if it's not from MC, though?"

"Would you feel better if it wasn't?" The vice-captain asked, clearly trying to gauge the actor's thoughts.

"It would probably be easier if it wasn't. I can't really stomach the thought of rejecting MC and losing their friendship."

"Is that really what you want to do?" Haku questioned. For a moment the pair sat in silence. Zenji slinked about above them, anticipating Subaru's response which never came. Haku sighed before continuing, "Well, there's one surefire way you could find out if it's from them or not." He held the envelope up, still in his hands from when he Subaru had given it to him to read. He motioned for the captain to take off his gloves. Subaru hesitated for a second before complying.

When his hands met the smoothness of the paper, his vision began to blur into the memories of the letter's handling. It had been typed so he could not go further than the moment the paper was spat out by the printing goat in the library. Subaru barely had time to process that disturbing image before you came into view. Without a second glance at the words on the paper, you folded it neatly and placed it into the envelope he was now holding.

Subaru came to with a dazed look on his face. The use of his stigma had been too short-lived this time around to actually affect him beyond a subtle pain in his head.

"So? What did you see?" Haku peered at him over the rim of his teacup, having been mid-sip.

"MC..."

"Well, then you should probably sleep on what you're gonna say to them tomorrow. If you do decide that rejecting them is your...preferred course of action, just make sure you let them down gently. Zenji and I will be supporting you from the sidelines, whatever you choose."

"Oh, yes. It will be absolutely devastating but only you know what is best for you, dear friend!"

"And hey, don't feel too bad about it. I'll personally make sure they rebound properly," Haku said with a wink. The teasing tone in his voice did little to quell Subaru's nerves. If anything, his words made him more uneasy with the suggestive nature behind them. He felt a brief pang in his chest, choosing to ignore it as he finished the rest of his tea.

Subaru paused in his tracks when he saw you in the hallway, making idle conversation with the tall ghoul from Mortkranken. If his memory served him well, the student's name was Jiro. Though he still had no idea how he was supposed to interact with you now that he was sure of your feelings for him, he made his way towards the two of you. The first sound his ears caught as he approached you was that of a deep, melodic laugh, one that obviously came from the Mortkranken ghoul.

He swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking up, "MC! I'm glad I caught you here. I was about just on my way to Sho's truck right now." He watched you turn to look at him, a smile lighting your face as you greeted him with a bow.

"Oh, Subaru. Great timing, I was just about to head over, too. You know Jiro, right? Vice-captain of Mortkranken. Jiro, this is Subaru, the captain for Hotarubi."

"Patient #0671, Subaru Kagami. Yes, I'm aware of him.," Jiro replied stoically. He seemed to pay Subaru no mind as he bowed and introduced himself properly, his ruby eyes trained on your neck. Subaru watched the ghoul bring his hand up to your shoulder, slightly pulling down at your collar. The suddenness of this action made you flinch, turning your attention back to Jiro.

"I was looking at your mark," he said, unprompted.

You unconsciously brought your hand to your neck once his had retreated. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Not really. I just remembered Yuri said we'll have to take pictures during your health checks from here on out, to make sure it doesn't change shape, size, or pigmentation."

"Oh, I see." You let out a laugh, brushing away your obvious discomfort. Subaru could only watch, conflicted. Once again, he had felt the same pang he had yesterday at Haku's words. This time, though, it felt too important to ignore. He almost got lost in his thoughts of what this could mean when you faced him once more. "Did you want to walk together, Subaru?"

He gazed into your eyes, just now noticing how big and bright they got when you smiled at him. He wondered if you looked at anyone else like this. "Yes, I did."

As the two of you exited the main building, the campus around you was buzzing. General students were flocking to their preferred lunch spaces. Some familiar ghouls were loitering about as usual, most of them sending you greetings in passing.

"So, um, are you on a mission with Mortkranken now, then?" Subaru asked after a brief lull.

"No. Surprisingly I haven't been assigned again yet. Now that I've gone to every house I never know what to expect next. I'd rather have a break from Mortkranken, though."

"You don't like them? I can imagine the work must be more difficult there than usual."

"It's not that I don't like them. Actually, they're quite enjoyable to be around. Compared to most of the other houses, that is. Yuri can be a bit much at times but he works hard. You kind of have to give credit where credit is due, in that regard. And Jiro's just Jiro, I guess. He's very useful. I'd probably say he's one of the strongest and most talented in combat that I've seen of the ghouls."

Subaru listened to your ramblings, not missing how your appraisal of the two ghouls made his heart ache yet again. He was becoming increasingly aware of the sinking feeling in his chest. "I don't know Jiro all that well but I'd have to agree with you. I know I'm no match for him on either front."

"Oh, I didn't mean it like-"

"It's okay. I didn't take it any sort of way, I was merely making an observation. But I do hope you can rely, not just on Mortkranken, but on all of us ghouls to help you break your curse. As captain, I've made it one of our top priorities in Hotarubi."

"...Thank you, Subaru." He took a glance at your smiling profile, your eyes locked on the ground as you walked.

"I wanted to thank you for the letter," he said shyly after a moment.

"It was no problem. Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot your umbrella back at the cathedral. I can go get it real quick-"

"No! Um, I mean, it's fine, really! And we probably shouldn't keep Lyca waiting any longer. He gets quite agitated after a while."

Your steps faltered as you processed Subaru's uncharacteristically loud tone and rushed words. If you didn't know him to be such a graceful person, you would almost think he was flustered. "...You're right. I'll wait till after lunch. Anyways, did you find out who the note was from?"

"No, actually, but I think I have a good idea of who it's from."

"That's good. The girl made it seem like it was important." Subaru was somewhat surprised you were still going with your story of the general student. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Should he hint at his knowing the letter was yours? Or should he play along until you both met up later?

"I'm rather shocked someone would leave such a personal letter in a third party's possession," he said innocently, settling with a mix of both.

You stared at him quizzically, not really sure what he meant. "I'm not sure if you're trying to accuse me of something, Subaru, but promise I didn't read a word of that letter," you teased.

"I wasn't-," he started to say, pausing when he saw you hiding a chuckle behind your hand. "Well, then I guess I can tell you that it was a confession letter. I'm supposed to be meeting them in about two hours so I'll know for sure who it was from then."

Your heart thumped in your chest, your smile quickly fading as Sho's food truck finally came into view. Suddenly the trek to Highway to Home felt way too far away. "So I delivered a confession letter to you. Wait, you said you have a good idea of who it's from, right? So, then, how do you feel about that?"

"If it is who I'm thinking about...I'm not really sure anymore. Even yesterday when I was talking to Haku and Zenji about it-if I'm being completely honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to accept it or not. But now, I guess, I'm considering it. Accepting it, I mean."

"That's great, Subaru. I'm very happy for you." You tried to give him your best smile, your steps quickening ever-so-slightly. This wasn't exactly what you were expecting to hear.

You delivered a confession letter to Subaru. The idea was so ridiculous it was almost laughable. You were hyper-aware of your feelings for the actor. You weren't sure when they had developed, just that they did. And here you were giving him another girl's confession. It probably wasn't ethical but you were beginning to wish you had read the letter before sealing it, if only to flat-out refuse to deliver it. But, the more you thought about it, you couldn't say you weren't happy for Subaru. That much was true, at least. You certainly weren't planning on confessing to him, not until your curse was broken- if it got broken at all.

You let out a soft, inaudible sigh, feeling more conflicted than anything else. "We should hurry up."

When the two of you finally found Lyca in line for the food truck, you were grateful to not be alone with the Hotarubi captain any longer. You lingered by the pair as they conversed, not paying attention to what was being said. You greeted Sho when you were at the front of the line and thanked him when he gave you your food, fully comped as per usual. It wasn't until the three of you made it to the terrace, snagging a bench as soon as you got there, that the conversation caught up to you.

"MC, you're being too quiet. Stop it," Lyca said between bites of his chicken over rice.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired today." You immediately tried to perk up a little bit, fixing your posture and putting a small smile on your face. "How's your chicken, Lyca?"

"Why are you asking? It's always good," he answered rhetorically. "You should come to the bar if you're tired. Rui's always saying he misses you. You can use the room you slept in last time."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to stop by sometime this week."

The three of you went on with your meals, making small talk when there was nothing left to say. You had finished your plate quicker than you had intended when you realized just how suffocating being next to Subaru felt at the moment. You were eager to get away, wracking your brain for any excuse imaginable. Subaru's umbrella would have to wait another day, there was no chance you'd want to see him again before his big meet-up with the Frostheim general student.

Just then, your phone buzzed where it sat on the bench between you and Subaru. Both you and the actor glanced down as a message from Jin lit up your screen. Not exactly someone you'd call a savior, but a welcome excuse, nonetheless.

"Sorry guys, the King doth beckons," you said in your best mocking tone. You excused yourself politely, the pair watching you leave as they continued eating their respective lunches.

"Lyca," Subaru said once they were alone, "I have a favor to ask of you. I just want to confirm something."

The werewolf hummed, sizing up his friend. "What is it?"

"Can you smell this for me and tell me what, or rather, who you smell?" The actor pulled the envelope out of his school bag. He held it in front of Lyca's nose, intending for him to sniff it, which he did.

"It smells like goat," he replied, groaning in displeasure.

"And...?"

The werewolf gave a deeper inhale, obviously confused about what was happening. "Hrm, it kinda smells like MC a little. Why?"

Subaru pulled his hand back, hesitant with his next words. "I'm not sure I should say."

"Then what was the point of me sniffing that?"

"Well, it's just that I wanted to know if anyone other than MC has touched this, is all."

"You're being weird, Suba. What's the deal with this paper, anyways? What is it?" Lyca wiped at his mouth, growing impatient at Subaru's evasion.

"It's a confession letter. From MC, I'm pretty sure." Subaru felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he finally said it, the full picture coming into view for him.

With your talk on your way to the food truck, he was beginning to doubt himself. Maybe his stigma didn't take him far enough in the memories of the paper. Would he have been able to see beyond the printing goat's mouth all the way to the computer it was typed on? It was unlikely but not impossible, he supposed. But with Lyca confirming that only you had touched him, the image solidified in his mind. He was fully prepared now, knowing that he would meet with you in just under two hours, and he was set on accepting your confession.

"Confession? I don't get it," Lyca said in his usual manner, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"I don't really know how to explain this but MC likes me," the actor blushed at his own words.

"So? I like you, too. And I like MC, too. Doesn't mean I'm gonna go write letters to you."

"Right. But this is a different kind of like. More special, more romantic..." He really couldn't handle explaining any further, now he was just hoping that by some miracle Lyca would understand.

The werewolf stared at him for a few seconds, eyebrows knotted in concentration until they finally shot up. "Oh, you're saying MC likes-likes you! Rui's talked about this before. Does that mean they want you to be their boyfriend?"

Subaru could feel his face burning as if he were engulfed in flames, struggling to look into his friend's eyes as he responded, "Yes, that is what that means."

"Hrm...then do you like-like them too?"

The actor pondered the question for a moment, forgetting to be shy or embarrassed as he mulled over the possibility. "Yes, I think I do."

Just then, he heard a sing-songy voice call from behind him. "Kagami~ fancy seeing you here."

The two looked up simultaneously, Subaru's gaze locking with a pair of mischievous golden eyes.

"Who are you?" Lyca asked beside him.

"Lyca, this is Leo, Vagastrom's vice-captain. He's friends with Sho," the actor explained.

"Ever the loyal customer, hm?" Leo jutted his chin to the container on Subaru's lap. "Cute. Anyways, I couldn't help but overhear a bit of your conversation."

"What's it to you?" Lyca's tone was defensive as he quickly gauged Leo's negative energy despite his sweet-sounding voice.

"Kagami, I didn't know you were friends with Obscuary's mutt. I guess someone has to feed it and take it on walks, hm?" At that, Lyca began to growl, Subaru failing to calm him down as Leo kept talking, "Well, whatever. I just wanted to say it's adorable that you think the NPC likes you, considering they already have me as their boyfriend."

Subaru felt himself choking on the words he was using to settle down his friend, his voice suddenly becoming raspy. "What?"

"MC would never date you," Lyca snapped back at Leo.

"Ugh, I know, I know. I'm way out of their league. But y'know I'm just super generous so I'm used to doing charity like this." Lyca's growling grew even more intense. Subaru had stopped trying to soothe him, almost wanting to let him drive Leo away. Maybe some biting wouldn't hurt? Subaru glowered at Leo, who was clearly enjoying this new range of negative emotions he had coerced out of the 'perfect actor.' Leo let out a soft chuckle. Of course, he didn't care at all about his fake relationship with the NPC. This was just an opportunity he simply couldn't pass up. As soon as he had heard Subaru saying he liked you, he knew exactly what to do. With Sho busy with the food truck, he had to find entertainment elsewhere, right? "I just wanted to let you know that you have no chance, Kagami. I mean, between you and I, I'm a hot, trending influencer and you're a washed-up, out-of-work actor. The choice is really not that hard."

And with that, he was off, giving the pair no opportunity to retort. They watched as his figure faded away into the small crowd of students scattered throughout the terrace. Lyca looked to Subaru, noticing a rare, sour look on his face. Even his smell was different than usual. What Leo said must have really gotten to him. "Don't listen to him. MC would never date him. He's too mean and his scent is the worst I've ever smelled."

Subaru snapped his head back to Lyca, sporting his most sincere smile. In this moment, he was very grateful to have a friend like Lyca. Not just him but Haku and Zenji. And you, too. He was starting to realize that people like you and his friends kept him grounded, something that Leo sadly was lacking. And just like that, he knew Lyca was right. It was impossible for you and Leo to be dating because you would have grounded him as you did for himself. He didn't want to think too much about it, though. He now understood that he wanted your humility, your grace, and your kindness all to himself. He let himself be vain for a second to think that you weren't on this earth for people like Leo. You were here for him. And he was here for you.

Subaru stood up, his mood much airier than it was ten seconds ago. He bowed at Lyca, thanking him for having lunch with him and assuring him they would do so again tomorrow, and started making his way to the Ethereal Spring to wait out the remaining hour-and-a-half before he'd see you again.

Yay I got some cameos into this one! This is super not proofread and I only write at like three in the morning so sorry for any mistakes. I didn't intend for this to be a three-parter but, because of these cool talents I have called oversharing and yapping (which translate into writing, trust me bro), here we are. So anyways yeah, like and reblog and lmk if a part 3 is wanted. Okay love you bye.

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