Numb ✧ Ghirahim x Reader ✔

chapter 24

"Nooooo," she groaned, kicking her feet down so that she swam upright. Ghirahim was casually lying on a wooden raft, his legs crossed and elbow propped up. He sighed, seductively flipping his hair.

"You just couldn't stay away, hm? I don't blame you~" He raised a leg, pointing his toes as he shifted which leg crossed the other. He was pretentious in even that simple action. And to top it off - he tossed his head back, flicking his tongue as he did so.

[Name] was enthralled - not at his little performance, but the latter thing. The snake thing.

She swam close to the raft, peering up at him. He smirked.

"Miss me?"

"Dude," she started, only confusing him.

"What does that mea--"

"Do that again?"

It didn't take him long to realize what she was talking about. He flicked his tongue once more, subconsciously hissing as he did so. That was enough to send [Name] falling underwater, clutching her stomach in laughter. He glared.

"You're incredibly insolent," he scolded, resisting a blush. She snickered harder.

"Your tongue," she coughed out, "hahahahah!!" He grimaced at her.

"I found the Gate of Time," he said, changing the subject. [Name] was immediately brought back to total seriousness, doing a double take. Her heart leapt at the thought of that.

"But this is useless," he pulled the Dominion Rod into view, tossing it in the river. [Name] yelped, never reacting so fast to something as she did to that. She dove beneath the gentle waves, resurfacing with it tightly in her clutch. She held on with such force that she was worried it might crush under her hold.

"As is this," he revealed the Ancient Sky Book. However, she snatched it before he could fling it to the river. The book was irreplaceable. She only hoped water didn't affect the rod.

"I believe it's possible to reawaken the Gate through use of a sacrifice," Ghirahim suggested. He seemed to have done quite some thinking these past few months. But [Name] was more concerned on the concept of "sacrifice." She spun around, swimming to the nearest edge of land.

"Oh, not you," he called after her. Then, under his breath: "Unfortunately..."

When she came closer to the raft again, he held out his hands. She stared at them, noticing how slender they were, even when hidden under his glossy white gloves. She was expecting him to be handing something to her, so flicked her eyes back up when she saw nothing.

"What?" she asked.

"Take them," he urged.

"There's nothing there, though," she stated.

He ingrained a long, hard stare into her head, as moments of silence passed by. It was then she realized, what exactly he meant.

"Oh, like, hands. Got it. Hands. Uh, no. I have a feeling you'll fling me across the river or something."

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I promise I won't."

That immediately raised a red flag. A "promise" coming from Ghirahim seemed sketchy... It would take longer than just a few months to rewire the Demon Lord into a gentleman. She was skeptical, but did acknowledge the fact that her legs were tiring of keeping herself afloat. So she took his hands -- and yanked him down to join her in the waves.

As he fell, she darted to the side and hopped onto the raft. Dipping either hand in the water, she paddled away, rushing toward the nearest dry land. She glanced back for just a moment to ensure he wasn't pursuing her. Although he was, he wasn't the most agile creature in the water. [Name] stifled a snort, seeing him flail his arms wildly about. He was able to keep himself afloat, but it was obvious he'd never learned to properly swim before.

When [Name] turned her attention back in front of her, she realized a tree branch was at eye level. Unable to dodge in time, the wood smacked her square in the forehead. She sprawled backwards and tumbled into the water again. Her head popped up and she tossed her hair back, letting out a soft gasp.

She whirled around, coming face-to-face with an irked Demon Lord.

"You're always so infuriating," he snarled, before sighing. He composed himself. "Though... I admit that may be why I find you so irresistible..."

"Is that a confession?" [Name] joked, exemplifying this with a gauging, somewhat anxious chuckle. But his eyes fluttered shut. The smile was wiped off her face as she realized, this wasn't one of his usual flimflams. He truly meant what he said.

"Oh..." she murmured. She didn't have an answer.