Mirrors ◇ Joji x Reader

i. Prologue

Monday, October 23

After God knows how long of slumber, I felt a light, warm breeze graze the right side of my face. It faded away, then grazed again. After about the third graze it occurred to me that it was someone breathing on me. There's only one person who could be breathing on me while I'm sleeping...

I slowly opened my eyes to see what I always saw every morning. A sweet, loving grin given to me by none other than my gorgeous boyfriend, Joji. He always made sure to wake up before me to watch me sleep, waiting for me to wake up so that we could start the day together. He never got out of bed without me.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead." He greeted with his groggy morning voice.

I let out a playful groan, pretending to go back to sleep.

"Do I have to? Can we just stay in bed and cuddle some more?"

He pouted, nuzzling my neck. "Lazy partners don't get fresh pancakes..."

I shot up and looked at him with wide eyes. "You makin' pancakes today?"

Pancake day was always a surprise. It happened once every two weeks, or on a day when Joji thought I needed it most. Joji made the best matcha pancakes. The best.

"None for you if you don't get off your ass." He sat up and planted a soft kiss on my collarbone.

I leaped out of bed, running to the bathroom to prepare for the day as quickly as possible. Joji chuckled at my antics.

~~~

Joji and I had been dating for a year and a half now. We met when I was a freshman in college. I was dorming in NYC, since I wasn't from here and I always wanted to see what it was like.
It definitely lived up to the hype, and I grew to find that I was a city person at heart. I loved the atmosphere and the constant interesting and exciting things that went on day by day. There was always something new to do or see, even if you had been here all your life.

One day, one of my friends who grew up here was showing me this cool place in Midtown where we could eat Japanese crêpes. As we entered the small shop, I saw him there. He was eating with a friend, wearing a black beanie and a grey hoodie. I couldn't help but stare for a bit, and it seemed like I caught his eye too.

At first, it was a simple glance in reaction to the bell that rung as we entered, but he looked again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. As soon as he noticed I was staring, he gave me a smirk and a wink.

From that point, I made it an absolute must to come here everyday. Even if the food was bad. Which it wasn't. So that helped.

Of course, Joji didn't let me walk out of that place without at least exchanging phone numbers. And boy, was he flirty about it. That was the second time we met...

From that day on, we developed a close relationship. Both of us were the type to never date strangers, only friends. But after that bridge was crossed, we became something more. Lovers, roommates, soul-bonded even. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I had to leave his side, because I knew he wouldn't leave mine unless my safety depended on it.

~~~

By the time I had finished getting dressed, Joji had just gotten out of the shower. He chuckled at my haste.

"What time is it, babe?" He said as he stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"7:30. A whole hour for pancakes!" I smiled widely.

Joji widened his eyes. "That's a new record."

I squealed. "Extra pancakes!?"

"Hmm... How about ice cream on top instead?"

I jumped up and down in delight. "Even better!"

Joji chuckled at my sudden burst of energy, coming closer to kiss my cheek.

"You're the cutest. You know that right?"

"You tell me every day, Joj." We pecked lips and I rushed over to the kitchen to wait for him.

Pancake day is the best. Joji is the best. I love my life.

A/N: Hi guys! I just wanted to explain a bit about my expectations for this fic. First thing's first, this fic may or may not contain gore or other triggering events in the future, so if you're easily triggered, this fic might not be for you. I'll change the settings in this fic and add a trigger warning if I do decide to take that route.

Number two: I'm planning to make this fic have an androgynous partner for those of you who aren't women or are nonbinary. I've been seeing a lot of female-targeted fics and I just thought it would be fair to have a partner with no set gender.

Number three: This fic will have a horror setting (in honor of the spoopy month of October). I won't reveal to you what the plot will look like (that's what the chapters are for hehe) but I will tell you that it should make you feel uneasy with every chapter after I get the exposition out of the way. If you're not into horror, this fic definitely isn't for you.