Chainsaw Man x Male Reader

....Painfully Awkward (Chapter 1)

The hospital had a bleak, worn-down look that came with years of treating every ailment, accident, an act of God that the place had seen. The linoleum was chipped and stained in places, tiles marked by countless footfalls of nurses, doctors, and fearful families.

The woman, Mine Owari, was a schoolteacher, used to dealing with 30 kids running amok. She was a seasoned professional at keeping cool under pressure, but this pain, this raw, white-hot pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt. Every contraction felt like a vise grip, squeezing tighter and tighter, threatening to break her in half.

As they wheeled her down the long hallway, a series of flashbacks washed over her. A memory of her childhood on a farm, where she'd seen animals giving birth in the barn. The serenity of those moments were nowhere to be seen here.

A nurse, older and with gray streaks in her hair, held Mine's hand as they maneuvered through the corridors. "It's going to be alright, dear. Breathe," she whispered, but Mine felt she'd been told a lie.

Before her collapse, Mine had felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding, as if the hospital itself had sensed her arrival, opening its doors to swallow her whole. As she'd gone down, her vision blurred, the lights becoming twin suns against the darkening backdrop of her consciousness.

The emergency room had the heavy smell of disinfectant. Dr. Katsuki, a tall man with piercing blue eyes, looked at Mine, attempting to exude a calm he didn't feel.

"Deep breaths, Mine. We're here with you," He said, positioning himself between her legs. His voice, though steady, showcasing years of tough decisions and split-second judgment calls.

Mine's eyes darted around, taking in the faces surrounding her. There was a young intern, wide-eyed and visibly shaken.

Tears streamed down Mine's face. She gripped the sides of the bed, and with a final, Herculean effort, pushed as she'd never pushed before.

_–-[]-–_

Kachi Ryuben, with his slightly hunched posture and brooding eyes, had always been the 'odd one' at Hiranuma High. The kids called him names that continued in the hallways long after the bells rang. "Geek," "Loser," "Weirdo." But nobody ever looked deep enough to see the real Kachi, the layers he hid beneath his thick skin.

Kachi's mother had passed away when he was young, leaving him with a father who buried his sorrow in work and sake. Those long nights when his father wouldn't come home, Kachi found solace in the basement, amidst dusty old books and rusted dumbbells. Each day, with each page he read and each weight he lifted, he built himself up, hoping to emerge from the cocoon of ridicule into someone...more.

However, his one sanctuary in life was Miyu. She wasn't the most popular girl, but to Kachi, she radiated a light brighter than anyone else. Miyu, who'd dyed her hair a hue of gold after a trip to America, became the sun he orbited.

It took three long years for Kachi to muster the courage. But finally, he was ready!

"I-I like you," he managed to say, "Will you go out with me?"

Miyu stared at him, her face a myriad of emotions. The shock that initially painted her face contorted, her skin turning a shade of green, as if she were about to vomit. A strangled gagging sound slipped from her throat, her delicate fingers clutching her neck.

Kachi shot up, ready to help, but then she started laughing. A manic, near-hysterical sound, it sent chills down his spine. The laughing ceased and the gagging returned.

"I'd rather die than date you, what the fuck, hahahaha!" she managed to say between her dual reactions.

Laughter erupted, and Phones emerged from pockets, screens aimed to capture Kachi's shame.