alice in borderland 𑁍 one shots

under the influence // Karube x reader

Pairing: Karube x reader
Genre: Fluff
General warnings: alcohol, mentions of drinking, partying, drunken flirting.

•••

Disclaimer: This one-shot takes place before the borderlands.

The four friends had stayed at Karube's bar after it had closed, with the idea of having a private party, in the middle of the night, without any restraint. Indeed, guests or any client would have been a burden, depriving them of excess drinking and thus of having fun the way they wanted to, preventing them from having any kind of explicit discussion topics.

That's why you liked to stay only the four of you most of the time, you all were able to let loose without having to worry about offending anyone, or even just talk about personal things that only concerned them.

The place was rather dark, the walls were covered in dark blue wallpaper and the parquet was pine brown. Towards one corner, two long sofas faced each other around a coffee table where various bottles of alcohol sat, that used to fill the bar's stalls. A wall screen on their left was playing a rock concert at medium volume, and the conversation, which had started out around family and friends, was becoming increasingly intimate... too much so for some. Indeed, as Karube talked about the many girls he wanted in his bed, you and Chota had been giving each other understanding, almost pitiful looks. Chota knew about your crush on Karube. He was the friend you trusted the most. Arisu, on the other side, was listening to Karube but quickly became exasperated at your glances, as he did not know what was happening, he growled:

—Well, what's the matter with you two? Are you in love? Did Chota get a girl? What? He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Arisu's remark immediately sent you into a panic, making you realize that you hadn't been as sneaky as you thought. Sitting next to each other, you and Chota instantly grabbed hands before Karube stepped forward, walked around the bar he was behind before, and came to sit next to Arisu, instantly looking at your hands across the table.

You thought you saw him frown, slightly disappointed, but tried not to care much or make up some ideas in your brain because you knew that he didn't care. You knew that your feelings were not reciprocated, since he could have any girl he wanted, and, generally, none of his conquests lasted very long. Likewise, you were no exception since he simply saw you as a friend.

—How imaginative of you, Karube mockingly says.

You let go of Chota's hand and chimed into the conversation in order to defend him, of course, you played around, taking advantage of the situation to see if you could get any sense of jealousy from the blond-haired man.
Not too surprisingly, Arisu and Karube burst out laughing

—Should we try something together? Challenged Chota, stretching his arms towards you.

His dubious and provocative smile drew a grimace from his friend.

—I'm not sure that I'd like to see you two together, replied the blonde.

—Ah, really? Why so? You voiced, pretending to sound angry, although you were still joking as much as you always did whenever you somehow flirted with him.
As you heard their laughter echoing in the room, you couldn't help but having to force your own laugh. Of course, a part of you was completely serious and wished you hadn't to joke about such serious feelings. Arisu stared at the trio.

—You guys shock me! He declared.

After getting a refill, Karube did the same with everyone else.
And you continued to drink as the night went on
Perhaps you should have refused. Even if the party was really worth it, you were foolish to think that you'd feel okay after all those drinks.

—Uh... we'll have quite a headache in the morning, you said, laughing softly.

These words drew some laughter as you all began to get quite drunk, which, strangely enough, brought Karube dangerously close to you. You blamed it on the alcohol, though. He came next to you and sat down on the sofa.

—(Y/N) you... you look lovely, you know? He said, in a muffled voice.
He leaned on you and stared at your face with such admiration. You felt yourself blushing.

—Karube, you're obviously drunk. You said, cutting him off.

You didn't want to push him off, though, you liked the feeling of his body so close to yours. In all honesty, you had dreamed of such a moment. And just like all things that one dream of and does not achieve, the desire soon grows into an obsession, and the obsession eventually turns into love. Which is the most uncontrollable feeling.

—Meee? Whattt- noo, not at aaall! He incoherently articulated before promising that he was fine, which was obviously wrong.

You shook your head at the drunken mess that he was. But you couldn't really blame him, you were also starting to feel quite tired.

—Alright, if you say so, dude. You said nonchalantly while leaning against the cushions that were behind you.

Moments after, Karube did exactly the same as you, his eyes already closing in the process.
—You're not gonna fall asleep here, are you? You questioned, trying to get his attention.
In a muffled voice, he replied :
—I'll.. I'll just sleep one... one minute, okay? I feeeeel sooo tireeeed—
You sighed and started to shake him a little bit, putting your hand on his shoulder.
—Hey... no! You can't sleep here, you're in your bar and it's not a bed!

He kept on ignoring you. He wasn't exactly asleep, though. You could tell by the way his lips curled into a mischievous smile.

Before you could even add anything, he turned his body, so he could face you and snuggled against you, hiding his face in your neck. You were caught off guard. You didn't know what to do and his presence so close to you made you so weak. You hold your breath for a few seconds, trying to integrate all the information and understand the current situation. The guy you've had a crush on for years was snuggled up to you for no apparent reason, although he wasn't at all touchy or affectionate. You tried to move, to allow him to have some air and space, but he put his arms around you to hold you tighter and bring you closer to him.

—Don't go... stay with me! He said, his head still in your neck.

Arisu and Chota, who were on the other side of the bar, were playing pool together and they were not really paying attention to the scene that was happening between you and Karube. And Karube, although he was under the influence of alcohol, was particularly enjoying the moment he was having. It was how much he drank that night that had allowed him to finally flirt with you without being deadly embarrassed.

—Maybe that's not really a good idea, you resolved to answer him, thinking that he would regret it in the morning, probably see it as really weird, and then; that would inevitably make your friendship awkward.

—Pleaaaase (Y/N). His voice was low, but he sounded quite sad.

You huffed and stared at Karube, he looked really vulnerable but really cute. You loved him too much. Faking an exasperated sigh, you finally gave in and accepted. You felt him smiling against your skin.

—Thank you... He paused before adding: You are so perfect, look at you, so beautiful...

At that point, you could feel your cheeks heating up as you heard those words. You parted your lips, not really knowing what you were going to say, but immediately closed them again when Karube raised his head, locking his eyes in yours.

—My beautiful angel, Karube whispered. You are... my little angel...

You almost choked at his remark. You'd have never imagined such a thing coming from him. You felt as if your breath was running out.

—K-Karube... w-what are you talking about? You questioned, flustered.

Karube looked at you with big, bright eyes.

—It's- just that I think that I have feelings for you...

You gasped, not sure that you had heard him right. Did he really confess to you right now? Was he serious? Was he just intoxicated by all the liqueur?

—Do you? You asked as if you were afraid that all this could be a dream. So, you like me?

- Yes, Karube said, a soft smile on his face.

It didn't take long for the temperature to rise as he suddenly put his hand under your chin.
You wanted to say something, but before you could even try to speak, you were cut off by Karube kissing the corner of your mouth. You still didn't really know if all this was serious or not...

—Lips so soft... I just want to kiss them.

—Then, go, do it. You said softly but with a hint of confidence in your voice. You were getting caught up in the game, even if it meant nothing, you could have him close to you for at least just one night.

And he did.

His lips came to rest delicately against yours, his tongue making its way easily into your mouth. The kiss was pretty sloppy considering the state you both were in, but it was enough for you to leave you with stars in your eyes and your head spinning.

You chuckled softly when your lips parted, and looked at him with a big, innocent smile. He then kissed you quite a few times again, dropping more kisses all over your face. Eventually, you both fell asleep, far too tired to make it through the night.

None of you thought about the next morning. Where Karube would probably wake up with a terrible headache and where you would be dying out of shame, realizing that you had slept in each other's arms.