Horns Like A Devil || Shinra x Reader || Fire Force

| New Years Special |

Just a gender neutral special chapter for the holidays! You can read this apart from the plot.

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New Years always brought the company together. Hinawa threw his apron on and whipped up the best dinner you've ever had, cheers were shared along with jokes and laughter. If only you could bask in the feeling forever.

This was the time where things ended and new things began. Resolutions, occupations, life goals. You did a lot of reflecting the past few hours, contemplating what you wanted to change.

After joining company eight, all your hopes and dreams came true. It was even better living that dream with Shinra, your close friend, and occasional super-secret bunkmate whenever the two of you got bored or needed company.

You reminisced his deep red eyes that glowed brighter than the stars. His dark raven hair you'd often play with when he'd lay on your legs. His awkward smile you grew fond of and thinking it was cute (he found that hard to believe, but your honest smile was too good to not be true).

He really was a good friend.

Speak of the devil- The sound of his footstep filled the air as you waited for him to join you on the rooftop.

"Hey, did I miss them?" He asked, sliding down to sit beside you and dangle his bare feet over the edge.

You shot him a smile, subconsciously moving closer to him as you turned. "You're good. We still have a few more minutes till this year is finally over."

Shinra let out a breath of relief but still held a nervous sweat. You noticed, arching a brow at the young devil. "Where'd you run off to anyway?"

"O-Oh, I had to speak to Hibana about... somethings." He rubbed his neck with a tense smile, you could tell something was on his mind. And why would he want to talk to Hibana of all people? You shrugged and let it go, figuring he didn't want to talk about it.

The night air flowed gently through your hair, a nice airy breeze you took comfort in. Even though you were looking at the lights of the city, you could feel Shinra's stare from beside you.

"Is everything alright, Shinra?" You spoke softly than you ever did before, catching Shinra off guard with an awestruck look adorning his face.

He stammered over his words, clearly nervous about something as his smile returned. Sliding back from the edge you placed your hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, just breathe."

You pulled him down to your lap, guiding his head down as he slowly started to relax. You looked at him with a goofy smile, running your fingers through his hair like you always did when he was bothered.

"Remember when Arthur got banned from the kitchen?" You said randomly, breaking out in laughter in sync with Shinra. You wanted to change the subject for a while to rebuild that comfortable atmosphere.

"Yeah, or when Maki had him in a headlock," He joined in, the memories of all your times resurfacing.

"Don't forget when you fell off the top bunk, twice." You poked at him as he smiled and looked away. "Then Iris came to check on us and found you in my room. Let's just say that led to a talk about certain things."

"Oh, don't remind me," He groaned half-heartedly. You could see a bit of red creep up his neck as he struggled to meet your eyes. You poked his nose and cheeks until he laughed and looked at you.

"What's up?" You asked sincerely.

Shinra shrugged, deeply inhaling as he looked away again to clear his thoughts. "I was just thinking..."

"That can't be good," You blurted as he cracked a smile, his eyes holding onto its intensity. "Sorry, continue."

"I've been reflecting a lot on this past year. With everything going on so far you know," Shinra spoke honestly, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's been crazy these months. The evangelist, people targeting us, adola, and my brother."

You nodded along, listening closely to his words. Your hands faltered the minute he mentioned his brother, making you think of your family. "It has been tough, hasn't it." You agreed, looking up to view the beautiful city, thanking the gods everything was peaceful for once.

"But then," Shinra continued, shifting slightly in your hold. "I started thinking about all the good things like joining company eight, being a hero... and meeting you."

𝐵𝒶-𝒹𝓊𝓂...

Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of you. "And, in times like this is where old flowers die and new ones bloom or whatever."

"Sounds like something Hibana would say," You mused, earning a quiet 'yeah' from Shinra. A calm moment of silence passed between you two before Shinra spoke up again.

"Whenever things got hard for me, you were always there." Your heart fluttered, a warm feeling growing throughout your chest. You wanted to tell him. You wanted to tell him how much he meant to you. To be with him every night and day. "I-I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't want to be friends anymore."

You faltered for a moment, thinking over his words too quickly and assuming the worst. That was until he softly grabbed your hand and sat up. You got the meaning fairly quickly.

"Well, n-no I do wanna be f-friends I just, I want to be...What I m-meant to say-" He was hushed by your hand cupping his face. You leaned in slowly, pressing your lips softly against his as he stiffened up. You could feel his smile relax, reciprocating your touch as he held you against him. Fireworks filled the air along with cheers of the city as you gradually pulled away, already missing the warmth he brought to you.

Once your eyes were open, you could see that goofy look on his face, this time with a genuine smile.

"Happy New Year." You smiled happily, leaning on Shinra's shoulder to watch the rest of the fireworks. He pulled you in, causing you to shriek as you were placed in front of him, warm arms wrapping around you and a chin on your head. You titled your head to look up at him, eyes full of content as he pecked your forehead.

"Happy New Year."

🔥━❖━ ⊙ Lá†om ⊙ ━❖━🔥

Happy New Years Everyone!!!