❝ 𝙉𝙤 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 ❞ LONG HIATUS

: ̗̀➛ THE MERMAID AND THE SAMURAI

"I became a reaper, and I became one with death itself, so that death will no longer be able to find me."
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Oda discovered (Y/N) lying face down on the carpet of his apartment building. Well, lying down with her gun drawn. This time, however, the gun was not pointed at her own head. Even though
(Y/N) had the ability to shoot her in the eyes without even looking, Oda was aware that the
gun had only been drawn as a reflex because his ability, Flawless, had not been activated.

And sure enough, with a visibly shaking hand,
(Y/N) lowered the gun to her side.

"Sorry," she breathed out.

"It's alright."

Oda moved away from her to hang his coat, wash his hands, and finish up some dishes that had accumulated in the sink. The practice of crowding (Y/N) was never a good idea, but she wouldn't come to you on her own either. (Y/N) was in Oda's apartment at all was one thing, but that she was showing her negative moods in public without a sheet of humor drawn over them was something Oda had to learn to navigate through a torturously slow game of guess and check was something else entirely.

Progress is never linear, and with (Y/N), it was always two steps forward and one step back; sometimes it was three or four steps forward and ten step back, as well.

Oda was not a nervous person, despite having worked as a professional assassin for a portion of his life and possessing a special ability that allowed him to sense when he was in imminent danger. The sight of (Y/N), now rolled over on her back with an arm thrown across her face, however, caused him to start sweating nervously as he stood in the kitchen this morning. Oda had a plan in the works, and it was either going to be a success, or it might scare (Y/N) off for good.

He took a deep breath and came to sit crisscrossed by his young friend. He sat there as the sun through the windows slowly crept across the room, long enough for (Y/N) to slowly but steadily peek out from beneath her bandaged arm in curiosity, with brows intensely furrowed. Yes, it was possible that today was the day he put his plan into action, but he wanted to poke and prod a little more just to be sure.

"What is it today?" Oda kept his tone casual, putting the emphasis on the word "today," making it sound like he was simply inquiring about
(Y/N)'s evening plans, which, in a way, he was. The girl would bring it up if she was dreading a meeting with Mori or All For One, and Oda's plan would be put on hold as a result. Oda would be able to tell if the answer was a result of her all-consuming depression based on the response. It's possible, however, that this is what he was thinking.