𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 // Akaza x reader (+18)

Chapter 26 | Tangled mess🍈

When you wake, it's long after dawn. Your arms are stiff from laying atop them, but at least you're warm. The fabric of your uniform rustles as you stretch your legs, trying to shake off the numbness.

You blink, trying to clear the fog from your mind. There's the entrance of the cave, but everything is... sideways. You must have fallen over in your sleep because you distinctly remember sitting next to Akaza before exhaustion finally claimed you. Now you're lying down, your cheek pressed against the cold, hard ground.

Instinctively, you try to move, but something holds you in place. There's a resistance pressing against your back, a weight that pins you down. Panic flares in your chest as you try to pull away, but the pressure doesn't ease. Turning to the opposite side is useless as well; you're locked in place.

Your breath catches in your throat as you realize what's happening. An arm is draped over your waist, holding you close, and when you glance down, you see a faint pink stripe across green-tinged white skin.

Akaza.

The realization sends a jolt of fear through you. Akaza, the demon who sat with you through the night, is now spooning you in his sleep. His arm, strong and unyielding, is wrapped around you like a steel band, holding you close against his chest.

Now you notice is slow breathing, his chest rising and falling against your back.

You freeze, unsure of what to do. The thought of turning around, of facing him while he's so close, fills you with dread.

What if he wakes up?
What if he sees the fear in your eyes?

No one can know about this. No one can see you like this—vulnerable, trapped in the embrace of a demon.

Your heart pounds in your chest as you contemplate your next move. You need to get up. You need to free yourself from his hold without waking him.

Slowly, you start to inch your way out of his embrace, careful not to disturb him. His arm tightens slightly as if sensing your movement, and you hold your breath, waiting for him to settle again.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you manage to slip free. You carefully rise to your feet, your legs shaky from both the stiffness and the adrenaline surging through you.

When you turn back, you see Akaza still lying there, sound asleep. For a
a moment, you can't help but stare at him. In sleep, he looks almost... innocent. The harsh lines of his face have softened, his usual ferocity replaced by an almost peaceful expression. It's disconcerting, seeing him like this—like a man, not a monster.

But you can't let yourself be fooled. You know what he is, what he's capable of.

As you finally make your way toward the entrance, your mind races. This is a situation you can't afford to repeat. You can't let your guard down, not even for a moment. Not when you're in the company of someone as dangerous as Akaza.

As much as you’re trying to convince yourself of the danger Akaza brings, that this situation is perilous, you can’t ignore the warmth lingering from his embrace. Despite everything—despite what he is—you can’t deny that part of you liked it. The closeness, the way his arm held you as if you were something precious.

It's a terrifying thought, but also a comforting one. In that brief moment, when he was holding you, you felt safe.
Even saver than with Rengoku.
No one’s ever held you like that, not even in the most vulnerable moments of your life. It’s a dangerous comfort, one that you know you shouldn’t indulge in, but the memory of his warmth clings to you, refusing to let go.

You glance back at him again, hesitating. He’s still fast asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. There’s a part of you that wishes you could stay like that, wrapped in his arms, shielded from the harsh realities of the world outside the cave. But the rational part of your mind knows it’s impossible.

And yet, you can’t help but wonder what you should do now. You can’t wake him, not when he’s sleeping so soundly. He must be exhausted if he’s fallen into such a deep sleep. Demons don’t need rest like humans do, not always. If Akaza is asleep, it’s because he needs it.

Besides, even if you did wake him, what then? He can’t leave the cave during the day—the sunlight would burn him alive.
And you can't just leave him alone here. Not when he's so vulnerable.
You're trapped here together until nightfall. The thought sends a shiver through you, but not entirely out of fear. There’s a strange thrill in knowing you’re alone with him, with nothing but time and the quiet of the cave to keep you company.

You sit back down, careful to keep some distance but close enough to feel Akaza's presence.
What are you supposed to do?
Waiting in silence seems unbearable, but waking him feels wrong, too.

The Upper Moon looks so peaceful, so human like this. It’s a side of him you’ve never seen, and you’re almost afraid that if you wake him, this version of Akaza will disappear, replaced by the fierce warrior you know all too well.

As you sit there, you find yourself wishing, just for a moment, that you could turn back time. That you could return to that moment when you woke up in his arms and just… stay there. But you can’t. You’re torn between the reality of what he is and the impossible yearning for something more, something that could never be.

But for now, all you can do is wait. Wait for him to wake up on his own, wait for the night to fall so you can both leave this cave.

And as you sit there, your thoughts a tangled mess, you find yourself watching him sleep, memorizing the way his features soften in repose, trying to reconcile the monster you know with the man you see before you.