Pushover | Aether x Reader

If there was one thing Kunikuzushi refused to do, it was to give up his pride and give in to the position society wished to place him in.

Throughout the last few months, every day he spent at school was nothing short of hellish.

Of course, he knew he did not have much excuse to complain about it for he had been on the giving side for as long as he could remember, but any sane person would grow tired of the constant taunts and assaults.

Any sane person would, at some point, wish their heart would simply stop after experiencing one too many bloody noses and black eyes.

Yes, Kunikuzushi was a bully, but he never went as far as to beat anyone to the brink of death. If anything, he was all bark and no bite. Just a person trying to get through life by putting on a mean and tough facade so as to not end up a poor victim.

'Look how that turned out.' Kunikuzushi scoffed as he took on yet another fist from those who were once his co-actors. It seemed that after the incident had come to light, all of those who had felt he had looked down upon them took it upon themselves to seek revenge.

"... It was so annoying how you always had that smug look on your face!"

He tanked a boot to the face.

"—and your annoying backhanded compliments as you tried to look nuch better than us!"

Followed by a kick to the stomach.

"I bet you thought we were all pathetic, huh?!"

One of his perpetrators grabbed him by his collar and picked him up to stare at his bloodied up face.

"You..." The bully gritted his teeth. "... You who had looked down at us all our lives... How does it feel to be this pitiful and at the mercy of our compassion?"

Kunikuzushi sighed, annoyed that he had to go through so much unnecessary pain. However, there was not a hint of fear in his eyes as he turned to look straight at his attacker's pupils.

He smiled ever so slightly. "Let's face it, you could never have taken me on without help. You've always been so pathetic."

THWACK! If his nose had not already been broken, it certainly was now.

"You worthless piece of scum! Your arrogance will get you nowhere!—"

"How pathetic." The boy's violet eyes widened at the familiar voice.

'There is no way. I thought she went to M.I.A.'

She, in fact, had not gone M.I.A. She had simply assumed the role of an invisible person in society but had somehow decided to reappear at this very moment.

Kunikuzushi's perpetrator opened his mouth, preparing to tell off their uninvited guest when the girl shoved a piece of bread in his mouth.

"Scram." The (h/c)-haired girl said. "I'll take care of him."

"Hell no! Why should we listen to you?! We were here first!—"

"Hey." Aether emerged from behind the girl and held up a phone, replaying a recorded video of the assault. "Get out of here or else." He hovered his thumb over the post button.

The bully scoffed as he eyed his friends. There was no way the rest of the school would care that they beat up their newly-titled punching bag, but surely the authorities and his mother would be less understanding.

After non-verbally agreeing on a conclusion, the perpetrators picked up their tools and trudged away, leaving a half-conscious Kunikuzushi at the mercy of the two new arrivals.

"... You..." Kunikuzushi gritted his teeth as he used up every drop of energy he still had in him to sit up. "... (Y/n)."

"Hello, Kunikuzushi." (Y/n) gave a curt wave. "Your acting was splendid. Any observer would've thought you truly were being beaten up."

"Haha, very funny. Yes, it was all a part of my plan." Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes and flinched at the surging pain coming from his stomach. "And you, Zeus, I thought I told you I didn't need your help?"

"You've said that the last four times but you've never pushed me away every time I lent you a hand," Aether said as he bent down to his level. "Here." He pulled out the a first aid kit and began taking out the cleaning essentials.

"It looks to me that you've both bonded well somehow when I was away," (Y/n) said humorously. "What an odd duo you are."

Kunikuzushi huffed as he snatched the bandages in Aether's hands. "I can take care of the rest... thanks for bringing the materials."

"Is that all?"

"What?"—

"Is that all you'll thank him for?" (Y/n) crossed his arms.

"(Y/n), it's fine—" Aether started, but the girl was having none of it.

"No. You don't have to always be kind to people who aren't appreciative of your efforts, Aether," (Y/n) said firmly.

Aether sighed. She scolded him again but he knew she was right. Somehow, he felt happy that someone was acknowledging his efforts.

"He literally doesn't care, (L/n)." Kunikuzushi scrunched his nose up in disdain. "Besides, can't you be lenient to someone who just got beat up?"

(Y/n) glared at him. "Rai. Suck it up and express your gratitude."

"Okay, fine!" Kunikuzushi yelled out in frustration. He bit the inside of his cheek and begrudgingly turned to face the blond boy. "Thanks... for always making sure I don't bleed to death."

Aether looked at him and smiled. The same smile that would have easily made your average person feel all giddy. "No problem, anytime."

Kunikuzushi promptly looked away, not liking how unbelievably soft his smile made him feel. He opened his mouth to let out yet another snarky remark to cancel out his shameful display of weakness when he felt a strong arm pull him to his feet.

"Just to clarify, this bullying isn't only happening to you, correct?" (Y/n) said nonchalantly, keeping her eyes straight ahead a she carried his weight all on her shoulders.

He stared at her in disbelief. "What... I mean, I don't know?"

"I heard that certain people have also been giving Ayaka a difficult time for having been nice to Zandik," Aether said as he took on Kunikuzushi's other arm. "But she's definitely been faring better than Kunikuzushi."

"I see." (Y/n) nodded in disbelief. She muttered a few words to herself, but Kunikuzushi could not help but still wonder why she had willingly carried him just like that.

He had thought that after that incident she'd want nothing to do with him. He supposed he was wrong— not that he was complaining over the second chance.

However, as (Y/n) and Aether both helped him down the stairs with tenderness and care, he could not help but think of how good they looked together. They were quite an admirable duo. Kunikuzushi wondered how either of them could have so much goodness in their hearts despite all that had happened.

After they had reached the clinic and gotten him settled down, (Y/n) was quick to intertwine her fingers with Aether's.

It was clear that even the blond boy had been caught off-guard by her newfound confidence as his face flushed intensely.

"While the nurse tends to you, come with me to the office, Aether," she said.

"Y-yeah... not that I'm complaining, but why?"

"To make a proposal," she said. "I've had enough of simply watching things play out."

No matter how lifeless and tired she had appeared an hour before the present, neither boy could deny that there was something incredibly different about the girl. It was as though she had grown a newfound resolve.

A resolve to end all the injustices that continued to play out in Teyvat High.

"When I'm done, gone are the days of the predator and prey culture," she said as she squeezed Aether's hand reassuringly. "Starting with you."