Listener - Akaza X Reader

tonight, stay with me

Days passed by with little to no speaking.

Those days turned into weeks- weeks turned into months. Winter was right around the corner, and if it wasn't for the old calendar in his kitchen, Akaza wouldn't have noticed (unless if it snowed, of course).

Since that day, (Y/n) hardly spoke to him. There were silent "yes" and "no's," occasionally she would hum in response, but their dictionary ended after that.

He fed her, watched her during the day, took care of her wounds, bathed her. This demon cared for her like a man would his wife, yet still, this stubborn girl he wanted to replace all of his hours away from the sunlight with, flat out ignored him.

Sometimes he would attempt to stir conversation. His voice would echo rumors he overheard from nearby cities, incoming weather alerts, trending fashion amongst the humans; he tried anything to trigger a response, majority of the things he had no interest in. After months of silence, he was almost fascinated by how tight her lips stayed sealed. This was inhuman. Without socialization, she could drive herself crazy.

That theory was right.

(Y/n) was unknowingly driving herself crazy, and Akaza was ready to open his arms for his little human when the time came.

There just had to be one final push. Something that would make her fall onto her knees and beg for the Upper Moon, a man who killed her close friend so brutally, to end all of her troubles.

He walked down the dusty hallway, thinking about the girl he had officially had etched into his mind.

Stepping out of the house in which he stayed, he was warmly welcomed by the back of her head. After a few months with him, she very well understood that there was no chance of running away unless if she was far out of the house. Her weakness showed in her walking as well; Akaza saw a resemblance between her walking and a dying old ladies. If she had gotten proper medical treatment, she would've been better within a few weeks.

Because of these problems, she disciplined herself enough to stay put. Her cold body sat like a corpse on a wooden rocking chair, her (H/c) hair covered the look of tranquility on her face as she watched the first snowfall of the year, right from her bedroom window.

Akaza watched the girl as each of her arm hairs raise. Her capabilities as a Hashira still hadn't completely faded; it was obvious through her own enhanced senses.

Despite physically noticing him, she did not say a word.

His nerves got to him, and his feet unknowingly began to stomp away. "Akaza," she demanded, in a pitch quieter than usual due to her partial loss of hearing. Only a demon—Akaza— could be able to hear her voice. If he were a human with normal ears, he would've continued walking.

Feet coming to a pause, he crept back to his original placement by the door. Her skinny hand reached his way, making a gesture for him to stand by her side. He did so, with absolutely no hesitation.

(Y/n) was... the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. As he stood next to her, his soft eyes could only compare her presence to that of the snowfall. She was delicate with everything she'd ever touched, and wanted to protect even the smallest things like bugs and rats.

Her eyes were shining with perfection. As the snow fell outside, he looked out the partially covered window and watched with her. The reflection of the snowfall appeared against her eyes, and he got lost for a moment in thought. Her eyes looked like snow globes.

Wooden boards covered every window in the house, but this little creak that revealed the outside world to them was a gift. Her body chilled as a breeze snuck through the cracks and hit her face. Of course, Akaza didn't get hindered by it at all, but this human did. He noticed some goosebumps poisoning their way up her arms. Ah that's right. Humans get cold.

In a quick moment, he walked across the room and grabbed a knit blanket. Making his way back to (Y/n), he wrapped it over her shoulders.

Her cheeks blushed with a soft pink, as she stared directly at him. The snowglobes he saw appeared to have been shaken and spun. Her eyes hadn't ever looked at him with such emotion before.

Akazas hand remained on her shoulder where the blanket was, and the two nearly fell into a trance of their own.

She turned, finally breaking the stare off. "Akaza, don't leave tonight."

Those four words made his heart beat like it did when he was a human- so unfamiliar yet comforting. They made him rest his shoulders and soften his grip on her shoulder. Her lips looked so untouched— so bare. Akaza has thought of small things like this about her in the past, but now everything just blew up in his face. A hint of red dusted his usually pale cheeks.

"Okay."

His words spoke before his mind could catch up, but that didn't matter. Every thought was blurred out by one, evident truth: The snowfall was warm with her.

Sitting across from eachother at a small table, Akaza watched as the girl hungrily ate from a bowl of soup. After observing her hidden reactions to different types of food for the past months, he was able to smartly identify what foods she loved and what she hated.

(Y/n) was open, and she didn't particularly dislike anything, but she had her own favorites and preferences. For example, after paying enough attention, he cleared it up that she preferred fish and chicken over any red meat there was. She liked hot drinks over cold, and didn't require gallons of seasoning on her food; (Y/n) preferred the natural flavors given in life.

As she ate, he couldn't help but admire the delicacy she had— no matter the situation. She was gentle with everything back when she was in bad condition, but he assumed she was just like that due to her injuries. Akaza was surprised to see that that wasn't the case.

Every doorknob, spoon, or even blanket that she touched, she treated it as if it was a ball of sand found on the soft spot of the shoreline- untouched by water. Sometimes, he was convinced they would crumble if his rough hands ever got involved.

The soup was hot, yet she loved the burn. Green onions melted with flavor in her mouth, and her tongue silently crushed the bits of tofu from the meal.

Her attention faltered as his eyes pressed a bit too hard. As she looked up, his eyes zoomed away within an instant.

"I am going to start a fire."

Before she lowered her spoon and responded, his chair scraped against the floor in reverse and he swept outside into the darkness of the night.

A quiet "okay" left her lips, before looking back down at her soup bowl. She began to eat once again.

As the Upper Moon left the house, he felt the presence of another being nearby. He tried to ignore it, but it became impossible. Holding three chunks of wood, he called out to the forest: "Who's there?"

Suddenly, a tall figure jumped down from a tree near the door.

Kokushibou.