𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐! • [denji x reader] • 🖊️

|| 01 • the beginning

[name] was an ordinary girl. she liked school, studying, pleasing her family, spending time with her friends (occasionally) and she liked the attention. everyday after classes were over her fellow classmates would congratulate her on such a well job, always getting A's in her classes no matter what it was. she was incredibly smart for a 12 year old, and had her fair share of popularity as well.

although [name] was extremely boring and even more average, people liked that she was smart and wasn't down right ugly. she had soft smooth [skin color / s/c] skin and pretty big [e/c] eyes. her mother always styled her hair every morning before school so she always looked put together. and that's what the kids loved about her. or maybe the fact that she was such a pushover and everyone did whatever they wanted for her attention, or just because they were too lazy to get their own work done.

the girl was just too shy to turn anyone down, honestly she liked that people found her useful for something so she couldn't really complain. she enjoyed the attention

now, imagine this. straight A student, top of the class, average looks, some popular status, well put, nice style, a put together stoic 12 year old coming home one day and it's just gone. quite literally blown away into dust.

blood, wood, trees, concrete, anything, you name it, were scattered across the one place she knew as her home, her whole neighborhood was sitting right in front of her, except it had disappeared. wiped out like nothing. it took her a few minutes to process everything, looking around to find her mother but the only thing she found was a red ribbon. her mothers ribbon.

and that's when she finally broke down, the adrenaline and shock quickly turning into sadness and anger. her mother, and her sister she always hoped death for, were actually gone.

this really wasn't the way she wanted attention. that's all she ever wanted right? and so she got it. people swarming her and asking her if she was okay, if her family survived, surrounding her like she was some new kind of animal. and for the first time in her 12 years of living, she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away from the attention she once sworn to love and wish for.

without even thinking she ran. no idea where she was running she just ran, for seconds, minutes, hours. until she finally came to a stop. sitting against a tree her hands trembled from the cold, the adrenaline that was soaking into her brain, her movements jittery and out of place as she sunk down a tree, her eyes watering as it all finally came crashing down. she sobbed for what seemed to be hours under that tree, crying her poor little heart out as she asked god "why? what did they do? they deserved to live. it should've been me." as it slowly got dark, her eyes sore and red from the amount of tears she shed she let herself fall into a restless slumber.

~~

rain. she used to love rain. but in this moment, her family, her home, gone? rain was the last thing she could've hoped for. opening her eyes she felt the rain drops mixed with her silent tears as she stared up into the abyss of darkness, only light coming from the street lamp from a few feet away. she laid there as her mind reminded her of the previous events that had happened just hours ago. she sat up sniffing as her eyes begged and begged to cry but nothing came out. why? didn't she love her family? what was wrong with her now?

her head snapped to the side as she heard footsteps, a small boy about her age and a tiny little.. dog? orange dog with a chainsaw in its head. she wanted to laugh, to cry, maybe even kick the little devil for showing its face after her family had been brutally murdered by one.

pushing her body up with her small fragile arms she glared at the boy and his ugly orange dog, but before she could even utter a word he cut her off-

"what are you doing out here all alone? it's pretty dark you know." the yellow haired boy asked her tilting his head to the side, his locks falling with his head.

she only glared for a few seconds and crossed her arms as if she was annoyed by such a simple question, "i could ask you the same thing." she responded, eyes gazing over his dirty, filthy almost rotting clothes. she grimaced and scrunched her nose "what are you wearing?"

the boy looked almost offended as he looked at his clothes, "uhm clothes? do you not know what clothes are?" he almost immediately snapped back

she wanted to smile, smirk at his stupidity but she only glared, feeling nothing but hatred towards everyone and the whole damn world. "those aren't clothes. those are dirty rags." she said as she puffed one side of her cheek with air in her mouth, boy was she sassy.

he gained a small lopsided grin on his face and she could've sworn she heard him chuckle, but he only hummed in agreement, "i don't really see the problem. i have clothes. anyways, why not answer my question? what are you doing out here?" he asked once more, determined to get an answer.

she looked up to the dark sky then back to him as she tried to hold it together, such a simple question. so many answers. "i lost my home. i don't know where to go." her voice was almost inaudible, quiet like a mouse as she whispered the words to the air, maybe to herself, but she knew she was responding to the boy in front of him who only grinned even more at her words.

"ah really? me too! i've been living by myself for some time now. hey, how about if you stop staring at Pochita like that, i'll let you come stay with me. As long as you don't eat all our food of course." he had the warmest smile she had seen all day, her hopes sparking up as she immediately nodded and stepped closer, but then she looked at the orange mutt. "I guess.. i can do that." she mumbled. she would just have to not stare at it or try killing it honestly, this creature he called 'Pochita' did it even deserve a name?

and so he hummed and stuck his thumb out "denji. what's your name?"

she glanced at his dirty and bruised up hands and grimaced, her nose scrunching up for about the millionth time. "[name]."

and that was all that needed to be to said. the two continued their journey to his broken down wooden shack, where she would consider to be her home for the next five years.