Anime One-Shots

(Mikazuki Munechika X Reader)

A small thud was heard throughout the room when your knees gave in and made contact with the tatami mat. The swords who were in the room quickly rushed over to your side as soon as they realized that you had fallen, panicked expressions on their faces as they tried to help you up. Several voices of concern spoke at once, not even pausing to take a breath, and you raised a hand to silence them.

"I'm fine," you told your swords apologetically for making them worry. "I just got a little dizzy is all."

"Maybe you should rest," Horikawa suggested with a small voice, and the others nodded in agreement, their eyebrows tightly knit together.

You smiled in appreciation for their concern for you and replied, "...Yes. Perhaps I should."

You separated yourself from the support of your swords to head off to your room, but your figure wavered slightly, threatening to fall over again. However, before you could make impact with the mat a second time, a warm arm wrapped itself around your shoulders, pulling you towards the frame of the owner of said arm. Your eyes glanced upwards, only to be greeted with the familiar kind gaze of Mikazuki.

"Ah..." you let out a small sound, wanting to thank him, but you were too tired to do so.

"I'll help you to your room," Mikazuki offered with a gentle tone, already leading you away from the others who wore uncertain expressions as they watched your retreating figures.

You nodded weakly and leaned yourself closer to the male, allowing him to guide you back to your room. You focused on your breathing; you needed to focus on something, or else you thought you'd get dizzy again from whatever thoughts were troubling you. You were so focused on your breathing that you didn't even realize that the two of you had already reached your destination until you heard the sound of your door sliding open.

Mikazuki glanced down towards you, and when he realized that you weren't going to make any moves to handle yourself alone from here on out, he walked inside, gently bringing you along. The tachi quietly slid the door shut behind you two, and he pulled away from you slowly, making sure that you were able to stand by yourself. You wobbled slightly at first but eventually regained your balance. Your eyes watched, dazed, as Mikazuki took out the futon from its usual spot and laid it out for you.

"Here," Mikazuki spoke in a soft voice, extending a hand out for you to take.

Without really thinking about it, you took hold of it, and the sword helped you get comfortable in the futon. Then, to your surprise, Mikazuki placed his hand on top of your head and started stroking your hair, prompting you to let out a blissful sigh at the sensation. You looked at him, and you realized the worried expression he's been wearing since your small collapsing incident had not let up in the slightest.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?" was the first question Mikazuki asked.

You shook your head and allowed your eyes to wander, hoping to avoid his gaze. "No..."

Your ears picked up the sound of him letting out a small breath. "I figured as much." You remained quiet, curious as to whether it was that obvious, so Mikazuki continued, answering your unasked question. "I've seen you wandering around at night sometimes, and others have commented seeing you working late into the night too. Not to mention the fact that you're almost always one of the first people to be awake in the morning."

"I've been having difficulty sleeping," you admitted. "It's hard to fall asleep, and when I do, I always wake up some time in between..."

"If that's the case, you shouldn't have overdone it with all those tasks," Mikazuki chided. "It's okay to leave those things for us to do later in the day."

You pursed your lips slightly into a pout, "But since I'm awake anyways, I might as well do something productive."

"......" the tachi remained quiet once he realized that it sounded like he was blaming you for allowing your condition to break down to this point. He opened his mouth to speak so that he could reassure you, but he stopped in his tracks when you motioned for him to stop stroking your hair. He did so, and you then took that hand and grasped it with your own, squeezing it while trembling slightly.

"I... I don't know," you spoke in a hushed tone, your shakiness making its way towards your words. You inhaled deeply and exhaled in an attempt to calm yourself. "Maybe it's just stress, but there's all these troublesome thoughts and they prevent me from sleeping. I'm tired... I just want a proper sleep, for once."

Mikazuki's expression softened when he saw tears start falling down your cheeks. It was very rare for you to show yourself in such a vulnerable state in front of your swords, so Mikazuki knew that he could no longer just watch from afar, doing nothing and hoping that things will be settled by yourself like how you always insisted. The tachi pulled his hand away from yours and leaned down so that he could kiss away your tears. Mikazuki then started to take off all his accessories and unnecessary layers of clothing to just the more simple ones before sliding into the futon beside you. He wrapped his arms around you protectively and pulled you closer towards him and his warmth.

"Like this..." the male said as he started stroking your hair once again, "every time something troubling enters your mind that prevents you from sleeping, it will disappear right away when I stroke your hair. It's okay... I'm always here for you, so you can sleep well throughout the night."

You took in a deep breath and allowed your troubles to slowly slip away as Mikazuki's scent filled your nose and as his heartbeat filled your ears. You snuggled closer towards him and smiled softly, appreciating everything he's done for you.

"Would you like for me to count sheep for you as well?" Mikazuki teased playfully, letting a small chuckle escape his lips.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I like listening to your voice," you answered. "It's very calming..."

"Very well then," Mikazuki replied, smiling down at you. "Hmm...counting sheep is too boring, so how about I count all the things I love about you? There's quite a lot, you know."

You laughed as you buried your face deeper into his chest, hiding the blush that adorned your cheeks from the honesty of his words. "That sounds nice," was your muffled response.

Then, without hesitation, Mikazuki's gaze became somewhat distant as though lost in thought as he started listing the things he loved about you just as he promised. You gave him your full undivided attention, focusing solely on his voice and words, as well as the calming repeated motion of him stroking your hair. In just a few moments, your eyelids started feeling heavy. You wanted to stay awake to continue listening to what Mikazuki had to say, but you were too drained both physically and mentally to put up a fight with your body.

Mikazuki paused in his words when he heard you breathing deeply in a rhythmic pattern. He glanced down towards you, relief painted on his face as a loving smile rose to his lips when he saw your slumbering figure. He kissed you softly on the crown of your head, wishing you a peaceful sleep as he too closed his eyes to join you in the world of dreams.