𝑚 𝑒 𝑡 𝑎 𝑛 𝑜 𝑖 𝑎 // JJK x reader

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

Cold.

So cold.

Why was it freezing?

You couldn't feel your fingertips, the cold air was surrounding your body, pressing in from every side as you tried to breathe. All you wanted to do was take a hint of oxygen back into your lungs. It was like you were drowning, even though you were quite sure you weren't underwater. 

The metal you were placed on pierced through your back with its temperature, and you felt like there were ice crystals shooting through it. You tried so hard to open your eyes but it was as if they were glued shut. 

Shuffling could be heard around you, muffled sounds that reverberated in your ears as you made out where they came from. 

"Seems as if you're awake..." A raspy but still smooth female voice stated, but you still couldn't look at her. Your lashes fluttered but opening your eyes was still impossible.

Then you smelled it – Smoke.

The stinging scent of a burning cigarette filled your nostrils as you found back to yourself more and more, and you noticed that all of your clothes were gone.

You were fully naked, lying on a icy cold metal table in front a woman you didn't even know. Who would have thought that the day of your anniversary would turn out like this? Not you, obviously. But what wandered through your mind was more the fact that you didn't even know if it was still you and Choso's anniversary, or if it was day – or night.

With your fingers slightly moving, your body twitching as you tried to move it, you felt a soft fabric wreathing around your body and surrounding you with the warmth you craved right now. The woman's silky voice sounded closer to your ear when she spoke again, her fingers now gently cupping your cheeks and heating up your cold skin.

"Don't fight it, sweetheart." she purred, "You need to get some rest."

You relaxed into her touch, so soft, so comforting, as her hands travelled down your shoulders and she took your limp hand into hers as the darkness enveloped you again. Slipping away into a weird dream, small little droplets of sweat formed on your forehead as you tried to fight whatever it could have been in your dream with the woman's eyes still fixed on your restless body.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Jolting awake, your breathing irregular and your chest heaving up and down as your eyes darted around the empty room around you, the only sound that could be heard was your heart pounding rapidly in your chest.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Where were you?

Your eyes studied the room with your heart rate slowing down eventually as you pulled up the thin sheet of fabric that was laid down on your body when you fell asleep. There was nobody around and the room looked cold, sterile even, with its white tiles and a few plastic chairs placed near the door.

With a graceful jump you landed silently on the also tiled floor beneath you, clamping together the small cloth draped roughly around your naked body. You glanced around, looking for something – anything that could help you understand why you were here, alone. But you didn't see anything else than just a few of these metal tables you also laid on, and the chairs that were near the entrance.

The door opened slowly and a woman came in with a tight smile on her face and a cigarette in her hand, and you knew this had to be the one that was there, touching you, when you passed out. Your confused look made her smile more genuine as she walked inside and closed the door behind her, not saying anything.

Finally, she stood in front of you, taking a long drag of her cigarette as she rested her back on the metal table behind her. She blew out a big cloud of smoke that lingered between you both, your confused gaze still studying her. 

"Who are you?" you breathed hoarsely, "And why did you help me?" She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before responding, carefully weighing out her words. Her long lashes adorned her brown eyes, but what stood out most to you were her dark undereyes and the mole that was right beneath one of them. 

"Shoko Ieri." A soft smile played on her lips as she took another drag of her cigarette. "You were injured quite badly. I couldn't let you bleed to death there, girl." You didn't say anything, you just took in her words and let them sink in even though you were still trying to figure out where you were or where Mahito was.

Your lips parted to say something, but Shoko cut you off right away while walking over to the ashtray to put out her cigarette. "Don't worry – Nobody knows you're here at the moment, except Yuji." 

Yuji. 

Did he make it? 

"He's still healing and resting in his room." She nonchalantly turned around to cross her arms on her chest, a small smile curling her lips as she walked to the door. "Where am I?" you blurted out, extending your arm towards her, the small step that you took shot a sharp pain through your hips and your cloth fell to the ground. 

Standing there butt-naked, she didn't even acknowledge the vanished fabric as she opened the door and glanced back at you. "Jujutsu High." Your heart sank at the realization that Mahito left you there to die, and just ran away like a fucking coward. 

You knew you couldn't trust him, but that he would just leave while you were actively fighting death at that moment? That's something you didn't expect, not even from him. That fucking crybaby. 

Anger was rising up inside of you and your eyes narrowed with aggravation, your hands clenched into fists now. You needed to get back as fast as possible to beat his ass, and your feet began moving without even knowing where to go. 

You burst open the door, completely ignoring the pain that still pulsed through your naked body. Shoko was turning her head towards you, the conversation with another person dying down slowly as she studied you top to bottom. 

Stomping out the door, your head clouded with sheer fury as you made your way through the long hallway, you suddenly spotted her looking at you with wide eyes and her mouth standing agape. Your eyes widened at the sight of the person standing next to her with a stoic expression.

Oh shit –

Your eyes darted between the two, shocked to see a man looking back at you with his lips pressed together when yours were opened slightly – completely baffled and not able to move anymore suddenly.

"You need to rest." Shoko strolled towards you, dismissing the conversation she had before and took off her white coat. She threw it around your shoulders, carefully clasping the buttons in the front to cover up your bare body. 

The anger that boiled up a few minutes ago evaporated at her kindness towards you, which left you with a bewildered expression and a mumble to thank her. She didn't even know you, who you were working for, or what you were even doing there in the first place, but still – she cared for you and healed you when your 'teammate' left you there to rot away.

"Kento will take you to your room, so you can heal properly." She gestured to the man behind her, striding gracefully down the hallway, her heels clacking on the floor with every step. 

Your gaze met the man's, his stern expression making you uncomfortable the longer you locked eyes with each other. He nodded and Shoko passed by him but he was rooted in place, waiting for you to make a move and walk you to your room. 

His sharp jawline and slicked back blonde hair probably made him seem older than he actually was, the blue dress shirt he was wearing was pushed up to his elbows and his hands were casually resting in the pockets of his pants.

The muscular forearms that were showing pried an uneasy feeling in yourself, thinking about what he could do to you. He surely was strong enough to hurt you, not even mentioning the curse technique he possibly possessed.

You averted your gaze to the floor as your feet began walking, one small step after another, limping toward him slowly until you knew you reached his spot. 

His arm slid around your waist to steady your walk, but he was still careful not to touch you inappropriately or hurt you while he accompanied you to your room.