#zsj fanfic

[inastrangerskiss]

minding manners

Zack Sabre Jr x Reader

content warning: zack acting pissy but what else is new

summary: zack gets injured and you're tasked with trying to make him feel better.

He stood with his arm raised but you knew by the way his foot hovered off the ground, something was wrong with his leg. It had been a hard fought battle, and he had indeed come out on top but, after one dragon screw too many, he was looking worse for wear. He grimaced as his hand was lowered and he brought himself back to the mat. He sat for a moment and ducked his head between his legs before raising his eyes back up and looking directly at you.

You and Zack had never had a good relationship. You thought he was cocky and he thought you were standoffish. You simply couldn’t be in the same room as him for more than two minutes before he would chirp something at you and you would bite right back and it would devolve into an exhausting passive aggressive war of words. 

But, despite your rocky relationship, you knew Zack well.

And, in that moment, you knew he wasn’t leaving the ring alone.

With just a bit of help you draped his arm around your neck and guided him backstage. He breathed heavily against you, leaning his weight on your shoulder. 

And that was how you ended up with him laid on his stomach on your exam table, propped up by his elbows, his head tucked to his chest as you dug your fingers into his hamstring. With every attempt to feel the muscle and identify the issue and potentially massage out any aches and pains, he would shift and move and try to escape your grasp.

“Stop squirming.” You ordered.

“You’re killing me.” He grumbled.

“I’ll be done in a second.”

“You could have been done ten minutes ago and it would’ve been thirty minutes too late.”

“You’re the one who needed me to get you back here.” You reminded him. “I hardly think you have room to complain right now.”

Zack scoffed. “I did not need you.”

A smirk spread across your face and, although he couldn’t see it, you knew he could feel it in the air.

“So you’re telling me you could’ve walked back here yourself?” You asked. “Did you just want me to carry you back here because you like hanging out with me?”

Zack’s head did it’s best to look over his shoulder, shooting you at least a thousand daggers through the corners of his eyes.

“No.” He spoke plainly. “My leg hurt. I’m fine now.”

“Because I’ve made it better, right? So you can walk out of here on your own now?” You gave him a gentle pat on the lower back. “Go on, then.”

Zack moved as though he were about to get up, as though he were truly about to commit to his word. And, as quickly as he had shifted just a bit, he shifted back, laying his head against his arms. 

“You’re awful.” He muttered into his hands.

You rolled your eyes but went back to the task at hand. Zack was silent for a while but continued to flinch as you worked through his potential injury. 

“You know this would hurt less if you didn’t move so much.” You chided, softly.

“This would hurt less if you didn’t have it out for me.” He grumbled.

“Maybe if you were nicer.” 

“Maybe if you were gentler.”

There was no getting through to him. No matter how hard you tried it always seemed like he had a problem with everything you did, even as you tried to make him feel better. It was rare that he found himself on your table and you had always assumed that maybe if you did make him feel better he might go easier on you. 

But, clearly, that was hardly the case.

And you weren’t sure why that bothered you so much.

You slowed your movements and bent his leg just enough before bending it back so it was laying flat. You continued this motion as he stared at the wall. 

“How’s that?” You asked. “Still hurt?”

He repeated the motion, reaching his hand back to assess the current state of the muscle.

“Feels better.” He murmured. 

Slowly, he moved to get off the table, finding his way to his feet. 

“You strained it but I don’t think it’ll be a problem going forward. Not at least with a few days rest.”

“Mhm.”

Zack tentatively put weight on the limb, limping at first before finding he could, in fact, walk normally. He began heading to the door, barely sparing a glance in your direction.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice.” You chirped, your arms crossed over your chest.

Without turning around, he let out a loud sigh, dropping his shoulders in defeat. Slowly, he turned, frustration written over his brow.

“You really need that from me?” He asked.

“It’s just polite.”

“Sorry. Thank you.” He exhaled, the kindness clearly disingenuous.

The spark to your fuse finally reached its end as you felt your head begin to explode.

“What in the world is your problem?”

“My problem?” He retorted, eyes wide.

“Yes! I’ve made you feel better and you can barely manage an ounce of kindness?”

“After putting me through hell!”

“But it helped, didn’t it?!”

Zack was rendered speechless, his mouth gaping open as he desperately tried to find the words to justify his attitude. You beat him to the punch before he could succeed in stringing together a sentence.

“See! You don’t even know why you’re such an ass.”

“I’m an ass? You’ve been smug the entire time! You were probably waiting for this day!”

“It’s my job, Zack! It’s literally my job to wait for you to get injured-”

“You don’t have to be smug about it though!”

You scrubbed your hands over your face, feeling like you were running in circles. Nothing you said would break his cold exterior. 

And the look on his face told you he wasn’t backing down.

“Tell me,” You finally spoke. “What is your issue with me?”

“I don’t have a problem with you!”

“Clearly, you do! You hate me!”

Zack’s eyes went wide at your statement and a strange anxiety crept into you. You weren’t sure why he suddenly looked as though he were being strangled by an invisible force but it certainly wasn't the reaction you had expected when you opened your mouth.

“I don’t hate you!” He exclaimed.

“Yes you do! Admit it!”

“I don’t-”

“Christ alive, I’ll still fix you when you’re broken. Just do me the favor of being honest!”

The words had hardly slipped past your lips when Zack’s voice drowned yours out.

“I don’t hate you! I like you! A lot!” He yelled quickly, almost faster than you could comprehend. “But, right now, I’m really starting to loathe you.”

The final sentence was spoken as though it were an afterthought, his breath weighing heavy with each word.

All you could manage to do was stand still, replaying the words over and over in your head until they all but lost meaning. 

“You don’t like me, Zack. You’re just being an asshole now.” 

Your words came out slowly, almost cautious that he might change his mind. As you stood in his deer in the headlights gaze, a slow trickle of electricity rippled down your spine. You felt nervous and you couldn’t quite gauge why.

“You have been the bane of my existence since you started here because I can’t think straight when you walk into a room. You’re kind and you’re sweet to everyone but me and it makes me crazy. I spend every day just wondering if I’ll see you and it’s disappointing when I don’t. Of course I like you. Now can I please go?”

You ignored his plea for release, shaking your head. “If you like me, why are you such a dick to me?”

“Because you act like a dick to me!”

As you stood, unmoving across from Zack, you thought back on all of the insults you had tossed in his direction over the years. They had never been unprovoked but they hadn’t exactly been nice. The longer you thought the longer you realized that maybe you didn’t actually hate him all that much. 

“I only act like a dick because that’s how you treat me!” You fought back.

“So if I was nice to you, you’d be nice to me?” Zack asked, a raised brow and softened demeanor complementing the question. 

“Yes!”

“Really?” His tone dropped, as though he were caught off guard. 

“Really.” You nodded. “I don’t hate you.”

“You don’t?”

“No. In fact, I like you too. Like, a lot.”

Zack nodded slowly, his eyes searching the ground as he tried to figure out his next steps. After what felt like a century, he looked up to you tentatively.

“Right. Well, glad we figured that out together. Bloody, gave me a headache, though.”

His hand raked through his short blonde hair, a heavy sigh falling free of his lips.

“Do you want my help?” You asked.

A curious smile spread across his cheeks. He shook his head while softly chuckling. 

“I’m afraid you’ll only make it worse.”

“I made your leg better, didn’t I?”

Once more, you found yourself trapped in his gaze. You worried maybe he would leave. For the first time since you met him you didn’t want to watch him walk away. 

But then again, maybe you never wanted to watch him walk away in the past either. Maybe that was why you continued to volley barbs back and forth in catering. Maybe that was why you would always try to get in the last word during your many verbal wars.

Zack walked back to your table, his eyes remaining on you. 

“Laying down? Sitting up? What should I do?” He asked. 

“Stay sitting.”

You approached him, rubbing your hands together to make sure they were warm when they made contact with the nape of his neck. Carefully, you massaged the area, feeling his shorter, bristly hairs move beneath your fingertips. You pressed your thumbs into the base of his skull and continued to exert a gentle amount of force on his head. 

Zack didn’t squirm or wince or mutter under his breath as you worked.

He sat perfectly still the entire time. 

“Feeling any better?”

You pulled away, giving him a chance to feel things out for himself. After tilting one ear to one shoulder and then the other ear to the other shoulder he gave a subtle nod. 

“You’re two for two.” He laughed, softly.

“I told you I’m good.”

Zack stood once more and made his way back to the door, walking slowly as though he hadn’t quite yet committed to the act of exiting.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice.” You called, once again, a self-satisfied grin on your face.

“You’re impossible, aren’t you?” He sighed, turning back to you. 

“You really aren’t very polite.” 

Zack’s eyebrows shot into his forehead as he stared at you incredulously. “You want polite?”

“It’d be nice.”

“How about this? You’ve been very helpful, can I take you to dinner tomorrow as my way of saying ‘thank you’?”

A furious blush rushed over your skin, dyeing you a shade of crimson. You had simply wanted a bit of appreciation. You hadn’t expected such an offer.

“Do you want to take me to dinner because I helped you or because you like me?” You challenged.

Zack bit his lower lip, fighting the urge to fall back into old habits of saying something rude simply because it was easier.

“I want to take you out… because I like you.” He muttered slowly, as though each word caused him incredible pain.

You nodded and feigned a look of deliberation, pretending to weigh the options of either going to dinner with Zack or sitting alone in your home like you often did most nights. 

“Oh why not?” You shrugged. “But you have to try to be nice.”

Zack walked back towards you and you knew this would be the last time in this encounter. You wanted to savor his presence as he drew near, a look on his face you had never seen before. One that was warm and kind and curious and affectionate. 

His hand reached up to you, finding purchase in the space behind your jaw, just below your ear. He held you so gently you almost didn’t know if he was actually there. He leaned in so his breath was hot on your neck, the words spelling out against your skin. 

“I’d get a muscle cramp any day if it meant spending more time with you and your smug comments.” He murmured before pulling back. “How’s that for nice?”

With that, he turned away and walked into the hall, not stopping, until he was gone from your sight, leaving you and your cheeks burning. You tried to replay the events that had unfolded but found yourself incapable of piecing everything together. 

All you knew was that he had been there, on your table.  

That he had been there, next to you.

That he had been there, his fingertips pressing into your skin. 

And now he was gone. 

And when the next evening came, he took you to dinner and acted like the perfect gentleman. 

He pulled your chair out for you. He let you order first. He paid the check. 

And he kissed you goodnight.

And you knew that the next day at work would see more childish insults thrown at one another. But this time you were doing it with a smile on your face, knowing he’d be the one to walk you to your car at the end of the night. 

#zack sabre jr fanfiction #zack sabre jr fanfic #zsj fanfiction #zsj fanfic #njpw fanfiction #wrestling fanfiction #zack sabre jr x reader #zsj x reader

[debbiechanclub]

Knights and Kings

A “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans” fic

Pairing: Zack Sabre Jr. x OFC Word Count: 4,650 Warnings: ANGST; alcohol use; language

Nellie and Torrance are both in need of relationship advice, and they expected to find it at the bottom of wine bottles and ice cream cartons―not a deck of tarot cards.

TMHWMP Timeline | Masterlist

Read it on AO3

Tag squad: @comeasyoudar @statdaddy @knifepervert @sldghmmr @rusevday @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09

Saturday, August 1, 2020 Tokyo, Japan

“Thank you for letting me crash here,” Torrance said. “I promise I won’t overstay my welcome.”

“Stop,” Nellie returned. She handed her a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, pulling her feet up onto the cushion. “You can stay as long as you need. I’m sure it won’t be long, anyway.”

Torrance laughed dryly to herself as she eagerly lifted the glass to her mouth. “That makes one of us.”

She took a long drink, and Nellie frowned. When Torrance had called and told her she needed a place to stay because she and Ishimori were “taking some time apart,” Nellie had thought she meant just for the night. But when she’d shown up at her apartment just over an hour later—suitcase in tow, eyes red from crying—Nellie had realized it was a bit more serious than just a night.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “Or do you just want to drink and binge-watch K-dramas?”

Torrance laughed again, a bit more genuine that time. “All of the above.”

Empathy surged in Nellie’s veins. “I didn’t realize you and Ishimori were having issues again.”

“Again,” because Torrance and Ishimori were one of those couples who always seemed to be either hot or cold. Nellie had seen it for herself during the two months she’d crashed in their spare bedroom after she and Zack had broken up. But she’d also seen their love in all the little things they did, in the way they chose each other every single day. From where she was sitting, this break had come out of left field.

But that wasn’t the case for Torrance. “It started not long after you moved out,” she revealed. “I think you were providing a buffer for us, and we didn’t realize it until you were gone.”

Nellie’s frown deepened. So this had been building for a month, then. She had noticed that Torrance hadn’t been her usual self the last few weeks, but she hadn’t thought too much of it—most people weren’t themselves these days. New COVID cases were surging again in Tokyo, and Stardom had just two shows planned for August after only just starting up again at the end of June after a three-month hiatus. So, Nellie had just assumed Torrance was depressed over the general state of things; she hadn’t thought to ask if anything else was going on.

And plus, Nellie had been dealing with her own personal matters lately.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and refocused on Torrance. “So what exactly started, then?” she asked. “After I moved out.”

“Just, bickering,” Torrance breathed. “Constantly, about everything, about the stupidest, littlest shit. And I’d been hoping it was just a rough patch and that we’d get through it, but we haven’t and now… I’m doubting our entire relationship.”

A weight settled on Nellie’s chest, and she looked regretfully down into her own glass of wine. She could relate all too well.

“It’s exactly like what happened to you and Zack.”

Nellie flicked her eyes back up at her. Torrance was already shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you’re not wrong,” Nellie ruefully returned. “It is exactly like what happened to me and Zack.” She paused to take a sip of wine, her mouth suddenly dry. “You know you could have talked to me about it.”

“I know,” she quietly said. “I actually almost did call you after Taiji and I got into it last week, but then I realized it was Zack’s birthday and I didn’t want to bother you with my shit when I knew you were probably dealing with your own.”

Nellie’s mouth moved too fast for her brain. “It probably would have been better if you did call.”

There was a beat of silence as they both realized what she’d said. Nellie froze. Torrance noticed.

“Why? Did something happen?”

Nellie shifted uncomfortably.

“Shit, something did happen, didn’t it?” Torrance figured, and Nellie knew there was no avoiding it now. So, she spit it out.

“I slept with Zack.”

Torrance’s jaw unhinged. “On his birthday?”

She nodded.

Torrance stared at her a few seconds longer, mouth agape. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t call, then,” she remarked.

“No, it’s not good, Torr,” Nellie woefully returned—but Torrance was already asking her next question.

“Did it happen here or at his place?”

Nellie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She might as well just give her all the details. “His place. I texted him happy birthday because it felt like the right thing to do; we’re still friends. But then we started talking, and he said he was getting takeout from this udon place we both love, and asked if I wanted to come over. It was only like six-thirty, so I figured it was fine and I could leave before it turned into hook-up hours, but then one thing led to another and… yeah.”

She took a gulp of wine, her heart pulsing in her neck. In truth, she knew she should have declined Zack’s invitation that night; she should have called Torrance and had her talk her down. But she was having a harder time moving on from Zack than she was willing to admit. Some days, she gave herself grace for it. Of course she was having a hard time—she’d uprooted her whole life and moved across the world with the person she loved only to have it all fall apart. Anyone would have a hard time moving on from that.

But other days—like today, the entire last week—she felt like a fool.

“Was it good, at least?” Torrance asked, cutting into her thoughts.

“Torr,” Nellie breathed, half a smile on her lips. “You’re not helping.”

Torrance pulled her mouth to the side of her face. “Well, I guess we both need tonight.” She let out a tired sigh. “Please tell me you have ice cream or chocolate or something else we can eat our feelings with.”

Nellie pushed out her bottom lip. “I don’t. But there’s a 7-Eleven a few blocks away.”

* * * *

Neither of them was concerned about impressing anyone, and a few minutes later they both left Nellie’s apartment in oversized t-shirts, bike shorts, messy buns, and masks to walk the few blocks to 7-Eleven as the last remnants of twilight died in the darkening sky. And it didn’t take long for Torrance to resume her line of questioning.

“Have you and Zack talked about it at all?”

Nellie snorted. “No. I left practically as soon as the sun came up. It was my first walk of shame since back when I was hooking up with Riley,” she lowly added.

“You snuck out?” Torrance balked.

“No, I didn’t sneak out,” Nellie clarified. “I told him I was leaving. But he was still half-asleep, so.” She left it at that and gestured to an alleyway on their right. “It’s this way.”

They cut into the alleyway, lined with tightly packed open-air bars and restaurants. Paper lanterns and electric signs hung every few feet advertising food and drink in kanji, but the atmosphere wasn’t as lively as it would have been under normal circumstances. It made Nellie recall one of her very first dates with Zack at an izakaya just like these, a smile on her face as she turned toward him on a barstool, his hand on her thigh—

“Would you like your cards read, my dears?”

Nellie and Torrance both slowed to a stop. An older woman with kind, dark eyes stood outside a stall toward the end of the alley. Nellie looked up at the sign overhead; in bright neon letters it read in English, “PSYCHIC TAROT PALMISTRY TEA LEAVES.” Her brow furrowed in confusion. This stall hadn’t been there any of the previous times she’d walked through here.

Torrance hesitated. “Oh, I don’t know—”

But the woman cut her off. “Yes, come. You especially need a love reading; I can tell from your aura.”

She beckoned them into the stall. Torrance and Nellie exchanged an uncertain glance.

“Come, come!” the woman repeated. “You want to know if you and your partner are too incompatible, yes?”

Torrance’s eyes widened. Nellie could see her overthinking it in real time.

“Okay, that’s a really general statement,” she quietly attempted to assuage her.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” the woman said. “The cards will only tell you what you need to hear.”

Torrance and Nellie tapped eyes again. “Yeah, that’s what worries me,” Torrance muttered under her breath; but she moved forward into the stall. Nellie followed. She had to admit, she was intrigued—and there was something comforting about the old woman’s presence.

There wasn’t much to her set-up; just a small folding table covered by a woven tapestry with one chair on one side and two on the other, a neatly stacked deck of tarot cards set in the middle. An electric tea kettle and paper cups sat in the corner, presumably for those who wished to have their tea leaves read. They all sat down around the table. The woman looked at Torrance first.

“All I need are your name and the name of your partner, nothing more.”

Torrance shifted; so they were jumping right into it. Her voice wavered a bit as she answered. “Um, I’m Torrance, and my boyfriend’s given name is Taiji.”

The woman hummed as she nodded and reached for the cards. She held them intentionally in her hands for a moment, her eyes closed, focused; and then she reopened them and started to shuffle. Overhand, varying her pace—sometimes quick, sometimes slow—until one of the cards popped out from the pile, making itself known. She laid it facedown on the table, and then repeated the process two more times. When she was done, she set the rest of the cards off to the side. The air in the room seemed to thicken as she did.

“This is a traditional three-card love spread,” she explained, deliberately pronouncing each word. “Many people think, ‘the more cards, the better.’ But with too many cards, the message can become muddy and lost. A three-card spread cuts right to the heart of the situation.”

She placed her finger on the card on the right. “This card represents you.” She moved to the card on the left. “This card represents your partner.” Finally, she put her finger on the card in the middle. “And this card represents your relationship together.”

“Okay,” Torrance breathed, nervous. But the woman smiled at her, and even though her mouth was hidden behind her mask they could see it in her eyes, sympathetic and kind.

“Again, the cards will not tell you anything you do not need to hear,” she repeated; and then, without warning, she flipped over the card on the right. It displayed a striking graphic image of an angel pouring water between two cups. At the bottom, it read in capital letters, TEMPERANCE.

“Ah, a major arcana card!” she noted. “This is an important message.”

Torrance’s brow furrowed with anxiety. The woman went on.

“Now, the card looks upright to you because we are sitting opposite one another. But because I am the one doing the reading, it is reversed. And Temperance reversed indicates that you must look inward first before you can move forward.”

Nellie glanced at Torrance out of the corner of her eye. She fidgeted in her seat again, the corners of her mouth turned down. But she remained quiet, interested in what else the woman had to say. And so, she continued.

“Something is imbalanced in your life, and you must think about what it is that you truly want. Not anyone else—you. It is the only way to find harmony again.”

Torrance went rigid. Clearly, the woman’s words resonated with her; perhaps too much.

“It’s not a bad card,” Nellie cut in. “It’s just saying you should take a step back and figure things out. You’re doing that now.”

The woman smiled. “Your friend is right. And if you’re doing this, you are already on the forward path.”

Torrance nodded in understanding. “Okay,” she said again.

“Let’s see Taiji’s card now…” The woman reached for the left card and flipped it over. It pictured a robed king holding a longsword in his hands: the KING OF SWORDS.

The woman considered the card for a few seconds. And then she asked, “Does Taiji have very high standards?”

“Yes,” Nellie immediately commented. Torrance rolled her eyes; but she didn’t disagree.

“Yeah, he does,” she dolefully confirmed. “For everything.”

The woman nodded. “The King of Swords is someone who is very controlled and ambitious, and sometimes that can come off as…” she fluttered her fingers, searching for the right word. “Overbearing—cold—especially in relationships, as they tend to be reserved in showing their emotions. To them, love means pushing their partner to do and be their very best, and they desire someone who will do the same for them. When the two partners are aligned in this concept, it makes for a very strong and beneficial relationship.

“But,” she pointed meaningfully back at the Temperance card. “Do not forget what Temperance has told you. If your desires and needs don’t align with Taiji’s, then it will benefit neither of you.”

Torrance gnawed on the inside of her lip. Nellie couldn’t think of a positive way to spin that message.

“Alright,” the woman said with a single nod. “Now, your relationship together…”

She flipped over the middle card. A knight sat atop a gallant horse, a cup in his outstretched hand. The KNIGHT OF CUPS.

“Hm,” the woman remarked.

“What?” Torrance asked, leaning forward, an edge of panic to her voice. “What does that mean?”

The woman thought for a beat. “Well,” she began, “the Knight of Cups could mean one of two things here, both very positive. First, it could indicate that you and Taiji will take the positive actions necessary for you to move forward together as a couple… or, alternatively, it could represent someone new coming into your life. Someone much more emotionally in-tune with your needs than the King of Swords.”

Nellie snapped her eyes at Torrance. She sat frozen, shocked; but Nellie swore it looked like someone specific had popped into her head.

The woman noticed it, too. “Ah… is there someone else already who could be the Knight of Cups?”

“What?” Torrance reacted. “No,” she shook her head, cleared her throat. “I’m just surprised. This is… eye-opening, for sure.”

The woman smiled again, her dark eyes wrinkling at the corners. “Good! That is the cards’ entire purpose! And now, we will see what they have to say to you.”

Nellie snapped to attention. That meant her.

“You are single, yes?” the woman asked. “Newly single.”

Goosebumps prickled over Nellie’s skin. How had she figured that? “About three months now, yeah,” she returned.

“Mm,” the woman hummed and nodded again. “Then you have a choice. Either I can do a general love reading, or, if there is someone specific on your mind,” she said this as if she already knew, “you can give me their name and I will do a reading like your friend’s.”

Nellie hesitated, a lump in her throat. If Zack knew she was doing this, he would give her so much shit. He was a hardline atheist; he didn’t believe in anything but provable facts, something that had been a point of contention in their relationship. She had always believed in something more, some force bigger than herself.

And she wanted to know.

“His name is Zack.”

The woman picked up the deck. “And yours?”

“Oh. Nellie.”

“Thank you,” the woman nodded, and she started to shuffle.

The first card popped out almost immediately; she pulled it from the deck and laid it on the right. A few seconds later, the second card emerged, and she laid it on the left. Not long after, the final card seemed to jump from the deck of its own volition. The woman laughed lightly to herself as she placed it in the center.

“That was quick.”

Nellie rubbed clammy palms on her legs. She didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.

The woman reached for the first card. “Your card,” she said; and as she flipped it over, Nellie was struck by the imagery. A large red heart pierced through its center by three swords, storm clouds in the background.

She scoffed to herself. That was a little on-the-nose.

“Ah… the Three of Swords reversed,” the woman noted. “You are having trouble moving on from the relationship that recently ended.”

It was a statement, not a question. Nellie stiffened. “You could say that,” she quietly returned.

“Mm,” the woman hummed again. “It is not so bad, though. The Three of Swords indicates that you need to go through this period of grieving to move forward. But you must be careful not to live in that grief and get stuck. You must keep yourself open to what lies ahead.”

But what lies ahead? Nellie wanted to ask. Maybe the cards would tell her.

“Now Zack’s card,” the woman continued. She picked up the left card and flipped it over. A knight charged forward on a horse, a staff in his hand. At the bottom, it read KNIGHT OF WANDS—and like Nellie’s card, it was reversed.

“He’s the person you recently broke up with, yes?” the woman asked.

Nellie blanched. How did she keep doing that? “Yeah,” she confirmed. “After almost two years. We moved here together in January and then… yeah.” She looked down, surprised at her candor. Maybe she’d just needed to say it.

The woman studied her a beat longer before looking back down at the card. “Like the King of Swords in the previous reading, the Knight of Wands is highly ambitious. But he is more impulsive than disciplined. He struggles with impatience, and sometimes fails to think before he speaks.”

“Do you know Zack personally?” Nellie quipped. The woman’s eyes crinkled in amusement before she continued.

“However, because the card is reversed, it indicates that he’s been feeling very frustrated. There are obstacles in his way, ones he cannot control, and he’s unsure how to proceed. Additionally, his frustration might not have anything to do with your relationship at all, but it affected it nonetheless. He must reconcile all this before he can move forward to what he wants.”

Nellie curled her hands into fists on her legs. There had been extraneous strains on her and Zack’s relationship that had played a factor in their break-up, of that there was no doubt. Living together for the first time in a foreign country where neither of them spoke the language, in the midst of a fucking pandemic, unable to do their job, the thing they loved, the thing that had brought them together in the first place. It had piled up on top of them, and they’d broken under the weight of it all.

“Does this resonate with you?” the woman asked. Again, Nellie had a sense that she already knew the answer.

“Yeah, it does,” she said. “But I don’t know if I’m part of what he wants.”

The woman’s eyes sparkled. “Well, let’s see if the final card will tell us.”

She reached for the third and final card, and Nellie reflexively held her breath as she watched her flip it over. The first thing she noticed was the bright red background. Then, a man and a woman, each holding a cup in their hand, the man reaching out toward the woman. TWO OF CUPS, it read.

“I believe you are part of what he wants,” the woman said. “The Two of Cups. This a soulmate card, my dear.”

* * * *

Nellie tried to pay the woman for the readings, but she refused the money. “The spirits had me seek you out,” she said. Nellie didn’t argue. She just thanked her and practically ran out of the stall, her head spinning.

Soulmates? Her and Zack? Please. She didn’t even think he believed in the concept.

“Wait up!” Torrance called as they exited the alleyway. Nellie spotted the 7-Eleven up ahead and started walking faster. Torrance had to jog to catch up with her. “Well, that was intense,” she remarked.

Nellie didn’t respond.

“Nell.”

“What?”

“That woman just said you and Zack are soulmates, and you’re clearly feeling some type of way about it.”

They came to an intersection, and Nellie jabbed the crosswalk button with her fingers. “She also said that card didn’t necessarily signify romantic soulmates.”

“Okay, but that was a love reading.”

Nellie kept her gaze trained on the crosswalk signal, willing it to change. “It was probably a bunch of bullshit,” she dismissed.

But Torrance shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know, she seemed pretty intuitive to me.”

“Oh yeah?” Nellie returned. “Who’s the Knight of Cups?”

She looked probingly down at her. Torrance blanched. “Okay fine, we won’t talk about it.”

* * * *

But long after they’d returned to the apartment, loaded up with ice cream, Japanese pastries, and more wine, Nellie still couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then, two more glasses deep and well into a Netflix binge session, she got a text. From Zack.

Are you free?

She nudged Torrance and wordlessly showed her the message. Her eyes bulged.

“Now he chooses to mince words?”

Nellie rolled her eyes. “I’m telling him I’m not,” she said and started to type back—but Torrance stopped her.

“No, don’t! You two need to talk.”

Nellie’s brow furrowed in disagreement. “I’m not leaving you here by yourself to go talk to Zack.”

“What, don’t trust me with your stuff?” she joked.

“That’s not—”

“I know,” Torrance interjected. “And seriously, I’ll be fine. Please go talk to him. We don’t both need to be miserable tonight.”

Nellie ran an uncertain hand through her hair. On the contrary, there was no guarantee that talking to Zack wouldn’t just make her more miserable. But Torrance was right. They did need to talk.

“Fine,” she said. “But I’m coming back.”

She didn’t bother changing, but she did pull her long, dark hair out from its messy bun and comb it out with her fingers, double-checking in the bathroom mirror that she looked decent, and then she was out the door. Zack lived two buildings over in the same complex, in what used to be their apartment. Nellie admitted it wasn’t ideal still living so close to him, but options were limited in the current market, and she hadn’t wanted to overstay her welcome with Torrance and Ishimori. Besides, she liked this neighborhood; she was familiar with it. She needed that more than ever right now.

Less than five minutes and she was at his door. She’d never responded to his text, she realized, but it was just as well. He wanted to see her; at least, it had sounded like he did. So, she raised her hand and knocked.

It wasn’t long before Zack answered. He seemed surprised to see her. “So I guess you are free, then?”

A swell of embarrassment flushed Nellie’s face. She was wrong, she shouldn’t have just showed up. Maybe he’d just wanted to talk on the phone, over text—not face-to-face. She must look like an overeager fool.

“Sorry, I should’ve—”

“No,” he cut her off with a shake of his head. “Come in.”

He pulled the door open further, and she gave him a tight smile and moved inside. Soft music floated out from the record player in the corner of the living room; a half-full glass of beer sat on the coffee table. So he’d been drinking, too.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

She looked back at him as he shut the door. “Um, water, actually. I had some wine and I’m starting to get a headache.”

“Ah,” he smirked. “Wine drunk. So that explains you just turning up.”

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Nellie let out a breath. She needed to relax. She moved around to the couch and sank down into the cushions, listening to the music. It was one of Zack’s favorite bands; they’d seen them live in England before all this. She’d gotten him that record player for Christmas. It made her wonder what was going through his head before he’d texted her.

“Here you go.”

Zack reappeared with a glass of ice water. She thanked him and took a long drink as he sat down next to her. It wasn’t until she set the glass atop a coaster on the coffee table and sat back that she realized how close they were.

“So were you just drinking by yourself?” he asked. Cheeky like always.

Nellie pursed her lips. “Not that that would be anything to judge someone for these days... but no. Torrance is over.”

Zack’s brow furrowed. “She is over? And you just left?”

“She practically shoved me out the door, trust me,” Nellie returned, and the implication was obvious: she’d told Torrance what had happened. The mood shifted like the needle on the record player to the next track on the vinyl. There was no avoiding it now.

“So, why’d you want to know if I was free?” she opened.

He laughed shortly. “Is it not obvious?”

“No, it is,” she said. And then, more quietly, “Where’s your head at?”

Zack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I don’t know, Nell. But it shouldn’t have happened, should it?”

Nellie’s heart dropped to her stomach. She felt the same didn’t she? Then why did it hurt so much hearing him say it? “I guess not,” she returned.

“I’m not saying that I regret it,” he quickly clarified. “I don’t, at all. Nell, I would take you to my bed right now.”

“But?”

“But. There’s a reason we broke up. Reasons, plural.”

Nellie’s nose burned. She thought of the tarot reading again, the Knight of Wands reversed, all the outside stresses that they’d been under, that they were still under. She wanted to bring it up to him—the circumstances, not the tarot reading; he’d laugh her out of the apartment if she brought up the tarot reading—but it felt like it wouldn’t make a difference.

And yet. “What if the reasons were all extraneous?”

Zack looked confused. “What?”   

She pivoted to face him on the couch, and her knee bumped his. “I mean, what if the reasons we broke up weren’t actually issues between us, but outside issues that affected us?”

He sighed again. “Nell, we were fighting about everything.”

“Yeah, because we were cooped up here together, unable to work, unable to go anywhere or do anything, really. You don’t think that maybe that had something to do with it, that maybe it was just the circumstances we were under and not actually us?”

“I’m sure it did have something to do with it, but what if it just sped up the inevitable?”

The air was knocked from Nellie’s lungs. Was that really how he felt? “Oh.” She was a fool.

“Darling,” Zack started—and then he caught himself, realized what he’d said. Nellie’s eyes steeled.

“Don’t call me that right now.” She stood up from the couch. “You’re right; it shouldn’t have happened.”

She started for the door.

“Nell—”

“I should get back to Torrance,” she said, and with that she walked out.

The Knight of Wands, his impulsiveness.

The Three of Swords, its necessary heartbreak.

The Two of Cups—soulmates.

Nellie wanted to believe that maybe there was something to it. But it felt like it was all just bullshit.

#zack sabre jr fanfiction #zsj fanfiction #zsj x ofc #zack sabre jr fanfic #zsj fanfic

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

Hi i want to request, some Zack sabre jr fluff of your choosing

Tokyo Disney with Zack Sabre Jr

What would Tokyo Disney look like with the Zack Sabre Jr

Main Masterlist (feel free to leave ZSJ requests)

Zack is an early bird, he would make sure you are there right when the park opens to maximize the amount of rides you would go on

He loves rollercoaters, although disney doesn't have thrill rides he enjoys the rides at disney just as much

I don't see him being a majour disney fan but who doesn't like disney world

Everyone knows how long the lines are at disney so Zack would definitely buy a genie pass to avoid waiting in the lines.

He would get anoyed with all the people, he would get frustrated with there lack of common sence

He would spend way too much money at the gift shop and get sick eating too many mickey shaped treats

Alot of people would stare at the two of you, I mean he is Zack Saber Jr for god sakes

Zack is the type of guy to map out the entire park and have a game plan that MUST be followed

He would also bring a million diffrent things. It was like he was preparing for a zombie appocolipse

He would deffintly remind you to apply sunscrean and insist you wear a hat

The two of you would spend the entire day at the park, I mean from opening to closing

The two of you ending the night watching the fireworks

#bullet clubs bitch #njpw fanfiction #njpw wrestling #new japan pro wrestling #new japan pro wrestling fan fiction #zack sabre jr fic #zack sabre jr gif #zack sabre jr x reader #zack sabre jr fanfic #zack sabre jr imagine #zack sabre jr #zsj #zack sabre jr aew #zack sabre jr headcannons #zack sabre jr njpw #zack sabre jr oneshot #zack sabre jr smut #zack sabre jr x gender neutral reader

[tothehounds]

#my writing #njpw fanfic #zsj/el desperado #🤷🏽‍♂️ i wrote something else instead of one of the 3826483 prompts i got instead

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

Black Widow

Zack Sabre Jr X gender neutral reader

Zack helps Y/n with a tricky submission move

Requested by: @yukioni02

Main Masterlist

I was growing beyond frustrated trying to figure out this new move. I was trying to add the black widow submission to my list of signature moves but for some reason, this move was harder than I thought. “Let’s go over it again,” I said to one of the young lions I was using as a practice dummy. I started off with a regular collar and elbow lock up, I then grabbed the head and went straight into a wrist lock. I then went to wrap one of my legs around the young lion's neck when they collapsed to the ground again. I realized that this was not my fault but it was the young lion that wasn’t being a good base. “Okay, that’s enough for today. Head back to the locker room” I told the young lion who was quick to exit the ring. “They are afraid of you, you do realize that right?” I could recognize that annoying voice anywhere. It was Zack Sabre Jr, he knew I had been struggling with this move and instead of helping he just laughed at my failure. I turned to meet the tall brit. “Good, they should know how to be a sturdy base,” I spat at him.”Still struggling with that move?” He asked me, “What do you think?” “I’ll take that as a yes. Ya know you should have asked me if you needed help. The Black Widow is almost identical to my Octopus submission” I knew what Zack was trying to do. He wanted to show off and prove he was a better wrestler than me. As much as I didn’t want his help, not being able to execute this move was killing me. “Fine” 

As much as the guy was a jerk he sure knew how to wrestle. He was a great teacher, I understood why the Dojo always asked him to teach seminars. Although I still think I do better seminars. Regardless Zack broke down the move step by step. He was surprisingly patient with me and didn’t mind my million questions. Finally, after what felt like forever I got the move. I had Zack right where I wanted him, I had my body wrapped around his, making him tap out. I let go of the submission and walked around the ring telling all the non-existent fans in the gym that I was indeed a better wrestler than Zack Sabre Jr. Just then, I felt him grab my wrist, spinning me around and pulling me chest to chest to him. After that I’m not sure what he did, all I know is that I ended up on the ground, Zack on top of me. I knew he was just messing around and this was nothing but two people wrestling but there was something in the air that made me feel like there might be something more here. The two of us were out of breath, we just lied there exhausted from our previous activities. Just then Zack said something I would never expect him to say. “Although you are a total bitch, I must say you look real pretty underneath me” I could feel myself blush at his comment. “You have no idea how much of a bitch I can be '' I told him as I flipped us over so I was now on top of him. “Why don’t you show me then”

#bullet clubs bitch #new japan pro wrestling #njpw lb #njpw fanfiction #njpw smut #zack sabre jr njpw #zack sabre jr x reader #zack sabre jr imagine #zack sabre jr fanfic #zsj #zack sabre jr #zack sabre jr fic #zack sabre jr gif #zack sabre jr oneshot #all elite wrestling #aew fanfiction #zack sabre jr x gender neutral reader

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

#bullet clubs bitch #zack sabre jr njpw #zack sabre jr #ZSJ #njpw #new japan pro wrestling #njpw fic #njpw strong #njpw cup #njpw fanfiction #njpw fanart #njpw gif #njpw smut #njpw wrestling #njpw windy city riot #zack sabre jr x gender neutral reader #zack sabre jr aew #zack sabre jr oneshot #zack sabre jr smut #zack sabre jr fic #zack sabre jr gif #zack sabre jr x reader #zack sabre jr fanfic #zack sabre jr imagine #zack sabre jr headcannons #zack sabre jr x fem reader #all elite wrestling #aew smut #aew #aew fanfiction

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

can I request a zack sabre jr fic? Maybe leading up to forbidden door the reader is in a feud with a wrestler that has a male partner who interferes and zack comes out to save them, surprising the crowd. Even the commentary table seems confused. When the reader asks why he came out he just gives a flirty response. You can end it however you want 😁

Forbidden Love

Summary: Zack saves you from JAS

Zack Sabre Jr X fem reader

Main Masterlist

That familiar door was soon about to open and although I was excited I was also nervous. Forbidden Door was my favourite event of the year, not only because I would get to see old friends with the joint event but I would also get to see my boyfriend Zack Sabre Jr. As far as I knew it looked like Zack wound’t be able to make it out to the event. Of course, I was devastated but I was more upset about the predicament I was currently in. I have spent the last few weeks feuding with Anna Jay, we are supposed to end this whole rivalry at forbidden door but If you ask me this storyline has overstayed its welcome. Every week it’s the same old boring thing. 

I told Zack about my frustrations but he was no help. “Y/n you should be lucky you are even a part of the show,” Zack told me “I know but I wish you would be too. I miss you, I’m bored. Save me, Zack!” I dramatically told the Brit on the phone. “I’ll see you soon love, you don’t need to worry,” he told me soothingly. What was that supposed to mean? “Tell me again why you won’t come to forbidden door?” I asked him “I’m tied up with meetings in Japan, it’s not easy being a champion,” he told me 

That week me and Anna would put an end to the ongoing rivalry, two weeks before we initially intended it to be. The two of us were given the main event spot of Dynamite and a slot of 15 minutes to put together a clean fight. I should have known that nothing about this fight would be clean. Anna and I beat the living hell out of each other, this needed to be over for good. I had her beat. Anna lied in the ring lifeless after I delivered my finisher, all I needed to do was pin her and it was over. I hocked the leg and went for the pin. 1…2… just as referee Aubrey Edward’s hand was about to hit the canvas for the third time I felt someone pull me out of the ring. My body crashed hard to the floor as I didn’t have time to brace myself for the fall. I looked up to be greeted by Daniel Garcia and Daddy Magic. 

“What the fuck!” I yelled at the men who stood over me. “We can’t let you win,” Daniel told me. 

Just as I started to get up I felt Anna kick me in the back of the head, forcing me back to the ground. This had become a 3 on one assault. Just then I was greeted with a familiar song I didn’t think I would get to hear. It was Zack Sabre Jr. Once his theme started to blare around the arena the three stopped their assault, too shocked to move an inch. The crowd erupted at the surprised, even the commentators were shocked. 

Zack came to my aid and helped me fend off the JAS. My match with Anna ended in a DQ and it was announced for Forbidden Door it would be me and Zack Vs Anna and Daniel Garcia in a no-holds-barred match. The two of us were far from being over. 

Once we got backstage I just had to ask Zack “What was all that for?” to which he replied, “I thought you told me you needed to be saved?” 

#bullet clubs bitch #all elite wrestling #aew smut #aew #aew fanfiction #zack sabre jr fic #zack sabre jr gif #zack sabre jr x reader #zack sabre jr fanfic #zack sabre jr imagine #zack sabre jr #zack sabre jr aew #zack sabre jr headcannons #zack sabre jr njpw #zack sabre oneshots #zack sabre jr smut #zack sabre jr x fem reader #njpw fanfiction #njpw smut #njpw fic #zsj #zsj fic

[inastrangerskiss]

rush

Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader

content warning: a pub is referenced as is a drink but that is the only thing aside from that it's straight fluff

summary: they say that distance makes the heart grow fonder

a/n: this is the first fresh zsj fic i've posted in months and months (everything else was backlogged) and the first fic i've written in months and months. i hope you all enjoy!

i.

“You don’t need to rush.” He laughed.

“I’m not rushing.” 

“You’re going fifteen over the speed limit.” He said with a smirk.

You looked at the odometer and realized you were in fact going fifteen over the speed limit and Zack was gripping the handle over the door with white knuckles. Carefully, you tapped the brakes, bringing the car back to a reasonable speed.

“That’s more like it.” He said, lessening his grip just barely. “Slightly less deadly.”

Your face flushed as you watched his smile grow. You tried taking deep breaths and you tried focusing on the road but nothing could distract you from the way his body next to yours in the car made you feel. His hand gripped the middle console and you wished with all your being that maybe he’d trade the leather clad installation for your thigh. Perhaps that’d be more comforting to him anyways.

“I just want to get you to the airport on time.”

“I have over two hours. I don’t think security will be that heinous.”

“You never know.” You shrugged, trying to act casual.

It didn’t take much longer for your car to arrive at the intricate weaving that was the airport. You slowed down considerably more and tried your best to read the signs as they came. Arrivals or departures? Departures. Did you want AerLingus and JetBlue or Delta? You turned in the right direction, almost sideswiping the car on your right. 

Zack gasped but tried to maintain a calm demeanor. It was your first time driving him and he knew how seriously you were taking the task.

If he missed his flight he missed his booking. And if he missed his booking he would certainly hold it against you, you thought. And you didn’t want that.

When you approached the drop off area you put the car in park and opened your door.

“You don’t need to help me.” He laughed.

“I just want to make sure you get everything out of my trunk.” You responded.

So you pulled his suitcase from your hatch and handed them to him as he loaded the luggage onto the sidewalk. His hand touched yours as you passed one handle to him and then the next. After his suitcase came his carry-on and his personal duffel. His fingers grazed yours with every single pass.

And you tried to contain the shiver in your spine.

But, god, it was difficult.

You finished unloading everything and he hugged you tightly.

“I’ll see you when you come bacK?” You asked, as he pulled away, his hand remaining on the small of your back.

“You’re my ride, yeah?” He responded.

“Of course.” You nodded.

You’d taken a day from work just to ensure you’d be around for him.

“Well, until then.” He smiled.

You wanted to be pulled in by his strong arms just one last time. Instead, he squeezed your shoulder and started towards the entry to the airport.

He had to tag his bags. He had to check them. He had to check in for his flight.

You were last of mind.

ii.

The conversation started simply. 

Zack sent a picture of a statue and you smiled. 

“Thought this might be something you liked.” The text read. 

Then another picture came through. This time the image was a box of intricately decorated chocolate confections. 

“Want me to bring you back some?” He asked in his next text.

“Absolutely.” You responded.

You shut your phone and moved about your business, assuming that was where the conversation would be left. But, before long, you heard vibrations and saw someone had begun to call you. 

Zack’s beaming face sparkled on the screen, his contact image being a picture from the first time you had hung out one on one. He had put his arm around your waist and insisted you take a picture together to send to your other friends. You had hid your face in his chest and he laughed. 

It was still your favorite picture.

“Hello?” You asked.

“Hey!” His chipper voice responded.

“What’s up? How’s the tour?”

You tried to busy your hands that shook in the wake of excitement. He had called you. He had wanted to speak to you.

It means nothing, you tried to tell yourself. He’s just bored.

“It’s good. A bit dull.” He said. “How’s home?”

“It’s good. A bit dull.” You repeated his words, earning a laugh.

You heard a quiet beep and the sound of a door handle turning and realized he must be returning to his hotel room. Gentle shuffling followed as Zack unloaded the bags from his time exploring the new city onto the wardrobe. It was silent but you didn’t need words - you were more than happy to listen to the ambient noises of your friend settling in for the night after a long day out and about.

“Any big matches coming up?” You asked.

He was silent for a moment and you couldn’t quite understand why but you didn’t think too hard about it.

“Nah.” He sighed. “Just multi-man warm up type matches now.”

You frowned. “Mm, I’m sorry.”

“No worries.” You could tell his phone was pressed between his shoulder and his ear as he moved about. “I’m having fun.”

“More fun than you’d have at home?” You asked.

You were teasing but a part of you hoped he’d say “no”.

“Hmm.” He deliberated. “Let’s see. I could spend time exploring new cities and seeing new things and eating new food or I could explore the same old city, see the same old things, eat the same old food.”

You nodded, having expected a response of that caliber. You couldn’t be mad.

“But,” He started again, catching you off guard. “Home does have you, after all.”

Your face flushed and you were thankful there was a phone screen and a few thousand miles separating the two of you. The last thing you needed Zack to know was that his words got you flustered. 

“So, I guess maybe being home would be better.” He continued, suddenly making you starkly aware of the fact that you’d been silent for far too long. “As long as I’m not in a car with you.”

“Well you’ll be home in a few weeks.” You offered with a laugh, kicking yourself for not having anything better to put into the conversation.

“‘Spose I will be.” He said with a heavy exhale. After some more prolonged shuffling he spoke again. “And you’ll still be there.”

“Waiting for you.” You smiled, trying hard to mask the overwhelming fondness you were feeling. “And we can explore the same old city, see the same old things, and eat the same old food.”

“Speaking of food, are you taking your lunch now?” Zack asked, abruptly switching tones leaving you to feel slightly jarred.

“Haven’t yet.” You shook your head, regaining your composure. “It’s been busy.”

“Take your lunch.” He pressed. “The shop can survive without you for a little bit.”

“I have to -”

“You don’t have to do anything. You need to eat.” He said, more forcefully this time. “Don’t make me come all the way back from Japan just to make sure you take care of yourself.”

“Alright, alright.” You relented. “I’ll take my lunch when you hang up.”

“That’s not fair.” 

His words confused you, causing your eyebrow to arch as you walked to turn the sign on the door to “Closed”. 

“Why’s that not fair?” You asked.

“Because I intended to talk to you for a bit longer.”

“Guess you’ll have to save your words for another day.” You shrugged, fully aware Zack couldn’t see the physical action through the phone.

He smiled and you could hear it in his words. “Guess I will.”

“I’ll text you while I eat.” You promised.

“Don’t let me bother you.” 

“I want to talk to you, Zack.” You responded.

A small laugh slipped through the receiver. “That’s good.”

“That’s good?” You asked, once again unsure of what his words meant.

“Yeah.”

“Why’s that good?” 

“Because.” He started and you feared he’d stop there. You were thankful when he began speaking again. “I want to talk to you too.”

As you tried to find a sentence that was an appropriate mix of friendly and flirty in the mess that was your brain, his voice broke your concentration, trickling slow as honey through the receiver.

“I miss you.”

Had you started your lunch prior to this call you likely would’ve choked at the surprise of his words. Blush crept up your cheeks and you began to feel silly, the elation that came with what felt like a schoolyard crush filling your heart.

“Alright, go get yourself food.” He chirped as though his previous words had held no wait. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Talk to you tomorrow.” You nodded.

When you hung up the silence felt too silent. The absence of Zack’s voice against your ear made you feel as though you were missing something vital. An emptiness followed the dial tone.

You shook your head, trying to dislodge the dull ache of loneliness from your chest. It was meaningless.

However, five thousand miles away, as Zack picked at the leftovers from his lunch he felt that same exact dull ache. 

And he couldn’t place why.

iii.

You sat in the cell phone lot waiting. 

You felt your nerves multiplying. Zack had been texting you the entire plane ride but it had only just hit you that he was coming home. It had been a long month without him and you were worried that the Zack you had been speaking to on the phone might be different from the Zack that would be sitting next to you in your car.

“I’m excited to see you tomorrow!” He had said over the phone the night before.

“I’m excited to see you too.” You had responded.

“I’ve been wishing you were here.” He had murmured, almost as though he were self conscious of his words.

You still hadn’t recovered from that comment.

Your phone vibrated and a text from Zack saying he had gotten to baggage claim lit up your phone. That was your cue to put your car in drive and start making your way to the pick up lane. 

It may have only taken ten minutes to get from point A to point B but it felt like hours. With every rotation of your car’s tires you wondered if Zack would be the Zack you had known prior to dropping him off at the airport or if he’d be the Zack you’d been introduced to in his absence. You wondered if he remembered all of the words he had said over the phone or if he’d forget them the moment his suitcase was in your trunk.

When you saw him you couldn’t help but accept the beaming smile that unfurled across your face. You were thankful when he mirrored you, his cheeks blooming fondly.

You put the car in park and hopped out of the driver’s side, pulling the latch to pop open the trunk. As you reached for his suitcase his hand caught yours.

“C’mere.” He murmured, pulling you tight to his chest. 

You hardly knew how to react but you certainly had no complaints as you reciprocated the affection.

“Been a month since I last saw my best mate.” He said, his cheek pressed to the crown of your head. “Think a quick hug is in order.”

Best mate. The words rang out in your head as you forced a small laugh trying to not appear as heartbroken as you were beginning to feel.

He released you with a small exhale. Before you could reach for his suitcase once more he waved you back, signaling he could handle it himself.

“Don’t worry about this. Go get warm and I’ll be there in a second.” He said, gesturing to the interior of the car.

“You sure?” You asked.

“Yeah. No need for both of us to freeze to death.” He carefully maneuvered the suitcase into the trunk. “Don’t want you catching a cold or something.”

His words hit you as though they were an afterthought as you made your way back to the driver’s seat. You could’ve missed them if you weren’t listening close enough. A spark of hope lit up in your chest as you thought perhaps the comment was more than just a courteous gesture. 

Within minutes the trunk slammed shut and Zack hopped into the passenger seat, shivering for dramatic effect.

“It’s abysmal out there.” He commented as he dropped his carry on at his feet and pulled his seatbelt on.

“You say that like you’re surprised.” You laughed.

As you pulled away from the curb you could feel Zack’s gaze zero in on you and you expected some sort of smart ass remark in response. But, once you were comfortably on the road and headed away from the arrivals, you could see from the corner of your eye that he was simply smiling. The moment was fleeting as he turned to face the windshield, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. You had hoped it might last forever.

“I’m dropping you at yours. Right?” You asked.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll have to get some gas.” You noted.

“No worries.”

You looked over to Zack, hoping to catch his eye. He was transfixed, however, by his own hands as they kneaded and picked at each other. His eyes darted to his carry-on, sitting at his feet and seemed to zone out. At first you thought he was tired. He was fresh from a long flight and a big timezone shift. It made sense if he was not in the mood to make small talk. But then, as he looked back to his hands a realization dawned upon you.

He was anxious.

You took a hand off the wheel and squeezed his bicep, garnering his attention.

“You okay?” You asked. “I promise to drive more carefully than I did when I dropped you off.”

You thought he might laugh at the comment or perhaps make fun of you but instead he offered a tight-lipped smile that could very nearly be confused for a grimace.

“Yeah, no. I’m fine.” He shook his head. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me.” He tacked a half hearted laugh at the end of his words, causing you more concern.

You shrugged and brought your hand from his arm back to the wheel. The drive was quiet as Zack opened the carry-on and fiddled with a bag while you kept your eye open for a service station. You turned the radio on but even that couldn’t assuage the tension.

“I’m gonna pull in here.” You pointed to a rest stop. “It’ll be quick.”

Zack remained silent as you pulled the car up to a gas pump. You parked and took the keys out of the ignition, offering one final glance towards the man sitting beside you. When he kept his eyes trained on his window you opened the door and re-entered the chilly outside world.

You could feel your head spinning as you unscrewed the gas cap and selected your grade of gasoline. He was never normally this quiet. He always had something to say and, while you didn’t always welcome every word that came out of his mouth, you were sorely beginning to miss the talkative person you had called every night while he was away.

You watched the price on the screen slowly go up. You wondered if he regretted everything he had said during his time away and was now trying to find a way to return to the platonic standard you were both used to. The thought alone caused your heart to ache. It was becoming more and more clear that you had potentially fallen head over heels for someone that was very clearly not on the same page as you.

You let your mind wander to the tune of gas pouring into your tank. You didn’t hear the passenger side door open and close. You didn’t hear Zack as he came around to your side of the car.

“Christ!” You gasped as he appeared next to you. “What’re you doing? Go back-”

“I got you something.” He blurted, not allowing you to finish your sentence.

His eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights. You couldn’t look away from him. You didn’t want to look away from him.

The gas pump clicked as the tank filled up, peeling your attention back, if only for a second. You placed the nozzle in its holster and declined a receipt.

Zack didn’t move. When you turned to face him you noticed his hand outstretched to you. In it sat an unassuming brown jewelry box, a small, dark green ribbon tied in a bow around it. This was not the box of chocolates he said he’d bring back. This was not something you had ever expected to receive - especially not from him.

Your heart began to pick up pace as you took the box from him, offering a brief, confused glance up to his still terrified face.

“I just - I thought of you when I saw it.” He started.

You pulled the ribbon slowly, no longer aware of the cars as they came and went, speeding back onto the highway. The lid of the box took a small amount of effort to remove but it came off. Zack stuck his hand out, offering to hold it for you while you peeled away a tiny rectangle of cottony gauze.

Your heart started slamming against your chest.

In the tiny, unassuming box sat a thin gold bracelet adorned with a matching golden sun charm. It was delicate and you worried if you dropped it you may never find it again. With the most care you could possibly offer a piece of jewelry you lifted it up and held it from your fingers.

“If you don’t like it that’s okay.” Zack continued. “I just saw it and I thought it was something you might want and I wanted to - after all of our conversations while I was gone I just wanted to-”

You held your hand out, palm facing the ground, silencing the stuttering man. You then held the bracelet up to him in your other hand. He stared at you with his head slightly tilted. 

“Put it on me.” You smiled.

The fear in Zack’s eyes quickly melted to reveal a warm grin. You could feel the anxiety rolling off his back and disappearing into the earth as he took the bracelet from you and clasped it around your wrist. His hand lingered on your skin as he admired how it looked on you, his thumb rubbing small circles against your forearm.

“You really like it?” He asked. “Because I don’t want you taking the piss or making a joke about this. If you’re fucking with me just tell me now.”

Laughter escaped from deep within you, quickly causing Zack to glare at you.

“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” He muttered, a slight sneer on his face.

With a deep inhale you managed to pull yourself together. 

“No. No.” You shook your head fervently. “I swear I love it. I really do.”

“I don’t believe you.” He said, beginning to walk away, back to his side of the car. “You’re a pain in the-”

Before he could finish his insult or walk too far, you reached out for his arm and pulled him back to you. You hadn’t planned your next move as he stood, his chest nearly aligned with yours, so you did the one thing your brain had been dying to do for the last month.

You reached up and pulled his head down and quickly pressed your lips to his. He hesitated for an agonizingly long second. He had only ever thought this was possible in his dreams and a fear ignited in him that perhaps he was, in fact, asleep. You worried you had overstepped and wondered when it was right to break away but you waited one last moment.

And then he reciprocated the kiss. And it was full of need and want and love. And you smiled against his face.

When you pulled back you looked up at him.

“I love it.” You murmured, clouds of your breath getting carried away with the wind. “Swear.”

His eyes studied you, a satisfied look twinkling in his eyes. 

“Your hand smells like gasoline.” He responded, his eyes looking at your hand that was currently cupping his cheek.

“You’re the worst.” You said, trying to contain the grin that was threatening to break across your lips.

“I don’t think you mean that.” He chimed, his nose brushing yours.

“I don’t.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead and you took a step backwards.

“Get back in the car. You’re gonna get sick if you stay out here.” He noted, gesturing indiscriminately to the weather.

You shook your head but followed his orders, getting back in the car with every intention of cranking the heat up. Zack sat beside you, still smiling from ear to ear.

“So, I’m dropping you off at your place now?” You asked.

Zack appeared to consider the question before pursing his lips. “Maybe we could get a bite to eat first.”

“I could eat.” You nodded.

“I think we might have some catching up to do.” He said, resolutely. “And anyways, my flat isn’t really the best place to have a first date.”

As though it were the pin in the grenade a hot blush rushed across your face and you didn’t bother hiding it. Instead, you shifted into drive and began rolling back towards the highway.

“I’ve seen that place. It’s definitely not first date material.” You joked.

“No. It’s not.” He agreed. “But the pub around the corner might be.”

So you drove and parked outside of the pub. You ate subpar, greasy food and laughed over a drink and watched the game playing on the television. And Zack ran a thumb over your brand new bracelet and then took your hand in his, winding his fingers between yours. 

And he kissed you once more. Slowly, this time.

There was no need to rush.

#zack sabre jr #njpw fanfiction #zack sabre jr fanfiction #zack sabre jr imagine #zsj imagine #zsj fanfiction #zsj #zack sabre jr fanfic

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

Literal LOML

#bullet clubs bitch #zack sabre jr fanfic #zack sabre jr imagine #zack sabre jr x reader #zack sabre jr #njpw fanfiction #njpw #njpw battle in the valley #njpw strong #Zack sabre jr njpw #zsj

[inastrangerskiss]

adoration

Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader

content warning: some fluff left over from the holiday season

summary: it had been over for months - you weren't about to let zack walk right back into your life.

The party was loud and you were alone.

Friends came up to talk to you, to exchange gifts, to regale you with stories of their trips to far away places during the holidays. You spoke to everyone. You spoke to anyone.

But you wouldn’t speak to him.

Him.

The man standing in the corner by the punch bowl, a beautiful girl hanging off his arm. The man wearing a suit the shade of the night you walked away from his outstretched hand. The man who kept glancing at you from his safe distance, looking more interested in your misery than whatever his date had to say.

His eyes scanned your face as he nodded to something she whispered in his ear.

It had been hours of this now.

Part of you considered simply walking up to him and holding out your hand. Part of you considered just straight up leaving the party, going home and crying into your pillow until the sun rose.

It was over. It had to be over.

But there was something about how the Christmas lights reflected in his brown eyes. How they cut bright shapes into his golden, blonde hair.

In his hands sat a plate and on the plate sat appetizers you had made. He didn’t know it was your handiwork but it hadn’t escaped him that every dish was one of his favorites. It hadn’t escaped him that every dish was vegan, exactly the way he liked it.

He watched you as a mutual friend walked up to you, taking your hand in theirs and pressing a kiss to your cheek. The jealousy welled up in his chest as you pulled the friend into a tight hug. There was a warmth shared between you and the friend that he had only been able to dream of, the last few months.

“Zack?” The girl in front of him waved her hand, trying to regain his attention.

He snapped his eyes down to her only to be drawn away again by the sight of you walking away with your friend, heading towards the coats.

“Yeah, love?” He murmured, trailing off as he watched you.

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, course.” He nodded.

And so she continued talking. But Zack didn’t hear a word from her mouth.

“Hold that for me for a second, would you?” He asked as he handed off his plate to the girl before opting to walk away.

The plate nearly fell out of her hands onto the floor but Zack never saw.

He was on the trail of something he needed desperately - more than water, more than food. He was on the trail of closure for a year of misery.

So he followed you. And he wove down the hall, past party guests, to the bedroom where everyone had been instructed to leave their jackets. He watched your dress disappear behind the door just before he burst through himself.

You turned quickly, not expecting the sudden intrusion. But there he stood, at least a full foot taller than you, his eyes wide and somewhat frantic. His cologne was the same cologne he had worn the last night you saw him. When it wafted towards you it made your heart tremble.

“I need to talk to you.” He exhaled.

You didn’t know what to say but you must’ve nodded because your friend said a quick goodbye leaving you both alone.

“Why?” You managed.

“Why?” He asked, his face wrapped in confusion.

“Why do you need to talk to me?”

“I think it’s only fair after this much time apart.”

You had no right to be so standoffish. You were the one who had left him. You were the one who had stepped away from his body. It was your fault that the two of you had become strangers.

But it also wasn’t.

He had been the one that had given you the ultimatum in the first place.

Stay together and move with him to Japan. Or break up. He “couldn’t tolerate the separation” he had explained. He told you that he was no good at distance and that the hours long Facetime calls were not enough for him. And at first you were flattered, because; who doesn’t want to be wanted in such a way? But then you realized there was no way you were going to uproot your life for a man. You had a job and friends and family.

Zack was not enough to sway you to leave them all behind.

So you walked away from the relationship. You walked away from him.

And in so many ways you had regretted leaving him. You missed waking up beside him when he was home. You missed watching him cook over Skype and sharing your meals via a video call. You missed hearing his voice talk you to sleep at night when he couldn’t hold you.

But you refused to change your mind.

Zack shut the door, and turned back to you. As if no time had passed he took your hand and walked you to the foot of the bed. You sat slowly and he sat beside you.

“What do you want to talk about?” You asked.

“How’ve you been?”

“Zack, I don’t -”

“Just tell me how you’ve been.”

“I’ve been fine.” You sighed. “And you?”

“I’m okay.”

“What do you want then? Your date’s probably getting lonely out there.”

“That’s not my date.”

“The girl you were talking to?”

He dropped his chin into his hand and stared at the ground.

“She’s just some girl that I met here. One of my mate’s friends, I think.”

“That’s not the point anyways -”

“It is though, sort of. Isn’t it?” He turned to you with that same old glint in his eye that you had loved so dearly.

“It is?”

“I don’t want you thinking that I came here with a date.”

“You’re within your rights to.” You muttered.

“I haven’t even thought about anyone else since you left me.”

The room was quiet, the air thick with tension. You thought about how long this last year had felt. You thought about how long you had missed him and all the nights you spent on the same mattress in the same apartment hoping and praying he’d walk through the door.

But he never did.

“I don’t know what to say to that.” You finally managed.

“Can we talk about it?”

“I think it’s too late for that.” You spoke softly as you reached for your coat.

His hand met your arm. He didn’t hold you back but his touch weighed you down like a lead balloon. You bit your lip, willing the sadness you had known for so long to go away.

“Please.”

His voice was desperate, a pleading expression washing over his face.

“Fine.” You sighed, sitting on the end of the bed so Zack stood just ahead of you.

He seemed almost shocked that you had agreed. His eyes darted around the room for a surefire strategy to win you back, coming up empty as they settled back on you.

“Where should I start?” He asked.

“How’s Japan?”

You didn’t actually want to know. He knew you didn’t actually want to know. The smug smile on your face was just meant to rub salt in the wound. Bitterness crept into the back of your throat like poison.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does though, Zack. It really does. And do you know why?” The words began flying out of your mouth as a year of anger finally boiled to the surface. “It matters because it’s the choice you made.”

“I had to go! That wasn’t up for debate!”

“You didn’t have to go alone!” You shouted, finally releasing the pressure that was welling up in your chest.

Zack’s face looked as though you had slapped him into the new year. Hot tears began fighting to break free from the corner of your eyes. You didn’t want them ruining your make up but you only had so much control over yourself. You pulled in a shuddering breath and tried to mitigate every emotion that had barbed itself into your mind but you found yourself beginning to drown.

“You chose to be alone out there. You chose that for yourself.” You continued.

“You made the decision at the end of the day.” He bit back.

“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t given me an ultimatum.” You warbled. Errant tears started slipping down your face but you palmed them away quickly. “You wouldn’t have given me an ultimatum if you wanted me to stick around.”

He was silent. You knew he was trying to find a new way to rid himself of blame, to feel better about the situation. This had been a fight you had both been training for. You had arsenals built for the occasion.

“I would’ve stayed,” You continued. “I wanted to stay.”

“I never wanted you to leave.” He murmured so quietly you almost missed it.

He stared at his hands, flexing and curling his fingers intermittently. He withdrew the moment the words left his mouth. He turned away, a hand reaching for his neck as he angsted over his latest confession.

You couldn’t help yourself but shoot your eyes to the floor. You wanted to feel happiness in the light of his apparent regrets but a year of pain wasn’t going to be reversed by one sentence.

When he turned back to you, you saw a blush burning hot on his cheeks, as though he had just confessed to actually liking you. You felt your defenses begin to fall as he walked closer to you.

“You did this to yourself.” You muttered, shaking your head. You had to steel yourself against the fondness you’d always have in your heart for his presence.

“Can I undo it?”

“Do you have a time machine?”

He laughed softly and you winced. You refused to hear it.

“I’m serious.” He insisted.

“So am I.”

He opened his mouth but shut it with a resigned nod. Slowly, he sat beside you, his hands folded in his lap.

You had missed the way the bed dipped when he came to sleep beside you. You had missed the warmth that always radiated off of him, as though he were a human furnace. You had missed the cologne he wore to every party without fail.

You remembered how you could almost drink it in when you put your head on his shoulder. It was your comfort, your reminder that you’d go home soon.

You wanted to go home so badly.

So you leaned your head on his shoulder to taste it just one last time. His hand met your arm, wrapping around your body. You felt sadness in the physical contact. You felt loss.

“Gonna be weird if this is over.” He spoke against the crown of your head.

“It’s been over.” You sighed.

“Yeah but this is, like, really, really over.”

“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

Zack shrugged. “Yeah, but what if I have to see you with another person.”

“I had to see you with another girl.”

“If I had seen you with someone else I don’t know if I’d be able to be normal about it.”

Carefully, your fingers found his. He didn’t fight it. The ten digits wove together, his warmth comforting your cold. You wanted to stay in this moment, contextless, for the rest of your life.

“You would like Japan, you know?” He attempted a chipper tone but it came out as a small echo of former happiness.

“I never wanted to go there. I’ve told you that.”

“Could’ve shown you in a video call.”

“Zack, it’s not my fault that we -“

“I’m not saying it is.” He reassured you. “It was my fault. You’re right.”

You sat up straight, confused by the certainty in his voice. He meant it. There was no other shoe waiting to drop. His thumb ran small circles over your hand as if to sign his name to the confession.

“I wish I hadn’t made you choose. You’re the only person I’ve wanted to talk to this past year.”

“Did you ever think to call me?”

Zack laughed quietly to himself. “I blamed you for this up until a few minutes ago.”

“I can’t believe you. You make your own hells. You know that, right.”

He nodded.

“There were so many pictures that I took that I wanted to send you.” He sighed.

“Guess you didn’t hate me enough, then.”

“You’re not easy to completely hate.”

He smiled and you felt yourself smile back. You hated how easily he worked through every wall you had put up. The more he worked the more you loved him, the more you loved him the more you missed him. And right now you found yourself missing him like you would miss air in your lungs.

“It’s really over, huh?” He exhaled, shaking his head morosely.

“I think so.” You murmured in response.

“I should probably head out. Not sure I’m in the mood for a party after all this.”

He stood, pulling his hand from yours painfully slowly. Carefully, he found his jacket in the pile of outerwear that had been tossed haphazardly by the pillows and pulled it on over his blazer. You watched him, unable to figure out what to say to make him stick around if only a moment longer.

As he walked to the door you felt your heart getting torn from your chest once more, a quivering, quaking sadness renewing within you. You bit your lip, trying to stymie the tears that were rapidly approaching.

“Zack?” You called.

He quickly turned back to you, hand pulling away from the doorknob.

“Yeah, darling?”

“Now that it’s over maybe… maybe we could, like, start again?”

He studied your face before raising a confused eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, like, one door closes another one opens, right?”

“Like, you want to try to be friends?” He asked.

You pondered the question for a moment before lowering your head slightly, casting your eyes to the floor. You knew what you were about to say wouldn’t make any sense but you had watched this relationship die once you didn’t want to experience it again.

“Like, would you want to maybe go out to dinner?”

“On a date?” His voice was almost incredulous but a smile betrayed his tone. “After all this?”

You nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

“I know you’re going back to Japan after the holidays so it won’t mean much but -“

“I’d love to.” He interrupted, surprising you. “I’d like to do that a lot, actually.”

“Seriously?”

“You’ve just asked me out and now you’re surprised I’ve said yes?” He laughed.

“Well you’re only in town for so long I didn’t know if you’d think it was pointless or a waste of time.”

Zack walked close to you, placing a finger under your chin and lifting your gaze up to his. The same, annoying, cocky grin had returned to his face and you had forgotten just how much you missed it.

“Did I make it too easy?” He smiled.

You nodded a tiny nod, pursing your lips to hide the giddiness within.

“Fine, I’ll make it a little more difficult for you then -“

“That’s not what I meant!” You exclaimed, pushing his hand away.

“I’m only going to agree to going out if you can promise me one thing.”

With a roll of your eyes, you stared him down. He looked elated and it took all of your willpower not to pull him to the bed and wrap him up in your arms.

“What’s that?” You asked, a smirk pushing at the corners of your lips.

“If the date goes well, we don’t end things just because I’ve gone back to Japan.”

You wanted to slap him straight out of the room but all you could manage was an exaggerated scoff. But he didn’t laugh and he didn’t smile at you. He wasn’t asking for a favor from you. He was asking for your forgiveness in the only way he knew how to.

So you reeled yourself back in and nodded.

“If the date goes well we won’t end things when you fly back to Japan.” You agreed.

“Beautiful.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

He stood once more and walked to the pile of coats, expertly fishing yours out, leaving you to wonder how he knew what you had come in wearing. He handed it to you and, without questioning, you allowed him to pull the sleeves up and over your arms.

“What are we doing?” You asked.

“I figured you were on your way out when you came in here. Least I can do is walk you to your car.”

“Are you leaving too?”

“What’s the point of being here if you’re not?” He smiled.

His hands fell to your shoulders and ran down your arms, sending a shiver up your spine.

He walked you out of the party and to your car. He opened your door and you slid into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition and blasting the heat the moment you were facing forwards. Zack leaned against the top of your door, the tip of his nose turning red in the cold.

“Maybe you could call me?” He offered. “We could set up a time and a place for that date?”

“Sure.” You nodded, finding it hard not to be entranced by the way the clouds of his breath laced through the air.

“I’ll see you soon, love.”

“I’ll see you soon, Zack.”

With that he moved to shut your door. But, before he could, he stopped himself and turned to you.

“Hey, by the way?” He started.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for always being the one to make the appetizers. It’s nice always being able to eat something at these parties.”

You smiled.

“Wouldn’t want you to starve.” You chirped.

With that he closed your door and laughed silently to himself. You drove home and waited all of five minutes before texting him.

You thought about going to dinner with him and what you might wear. You gathered recipes to show him and to give him to bring back to Japan. You tried to make a mental list of things to tell him about that he had missed during the last year.

But none of it mattered.

Because the moment he texted back saying “I missed you so much” you forgot about everything else around you.

It was all over. So it began.

#zack sabre jr fanfic #zack sabre jr fanfiction #zack sabre jr imagine #zsj fanfiction #zsj fanfic #zsj imagine #njpw fanfiction #njpw fanfic #njpw imagine

[inastrangerskiss]

as you were

Zack Sabre Jr. x Reader

content warning: none just fluff

summary: zack certainly knows how to run his mouth

“We’re just one day in, one day in.”

Zack’s voice rang loudly through the backstage hallway. You couldn’t help but find some of his grandiose statements to be amusing. However, you kept your head down and focused on your work. This was the only quiet place in the gymnasium that had working outlets and you had several more hotel reservations to arrange.

“Yeah this is a new time. This is a new time and it’s perfect.”

As he spoke you felt his eyes flutter over to you. At first you thought you were mistaken. He was ranting and raving like a lunatic - naturally, he was looking all over the place. But then came the hint of a smile flashed in your direction. It was quick but you noticed it.

You felt it.

It caused a furious blush to break out across your cheeks and a warm heat to rise in your chest. When he saw the way the tip of your nose and the outer edges of yours ears had become a deep shade of red, a tiny, lilting laugh tumbled free of his mouth. He played it off, acting as though he had meant to chuckle, as though he had found one of the many insults he had been hurling in the direction of the camera to be funny.

“As you bloody were.” He muttered, slinging his championship belt over his shoulder.

You went back to what you had been doing, scrolling through emails and collecting reservation numbers. He walked past the cameras, lingering for a moment out of frame.

You thought he would go back to the locker room just like everyone before him had. You thought he’d ignore you. But he stopped. And then he tilted his head in your direction.

“So, how’d I do?” He asked, a cheeky smile growing on his face.

You looked up and around, wondering if he had decided to talk to the reporters. But there he was, his eyes trained on your every movement.

“Me?” You asked, pointing to yourself.

“Yeah you.” He smirked. “You’ve watched everyone else, I assume. How was mine?”

You sat back in your chair, arms crossed over your chest and your lips carefully pursed. You didn’t feel nervous with his attention on you - at least, not as nervous as you would’ve expected. You felt comfortable. His aura felt familiar.

It felt just a bit like home.

“Not bad. Not the worst I’ve seen all day.” You returned.

Zack laughed to himself, his eyes raised, impressed by your nerve.

“Not the worst.” He repeated quietly to himself before shrugging. “Guess that’s better than nothing.”

“You’re all over the place when you talk.”

“I am not!” He protested, smiling in spite of his tone.

“You were looking all over the place. You called out like three people.”

“You were distracting!”

Had his words been a physical force you were sure you’d have been sent flying into the nearest wall. A nervous giggle broke from your lips as you ducked your head to hide your bashful reaction

“I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Yes, you absolutely were!” He retorted. “You were over there with your… with your… well, you know!”

“My laptop?” You asked.

“No! Just like -”

“What is it Zack? My day planner? My computer bag?”

“You smiled at me!”

“I did not!”

“Yes you did!”

Carefully, you shut your laptop and shook your head. “If I did it was just because I was being nice. I was not trying to distract you.”

“Well.” He huffed. “You did.”

He stood still for a few minutes, staring at his title belt while you stared at your phone. You watched him from the periphery of your vision, trying to keep the smile twitching in the corners of your mouth from running out of control.

“The promo was actually pretty good.” You finally chirped. “You’re good at, y’know, talking.”

“Not the first time I’ve gotten that.” He sheepishly muttered.

“You know what they say - practice makes perfect. And you sure never seem to stop talking.”

“Alright, alright.”

Zack waved you off with a roll of his eyes and a small laugh. He absentmindedly wandered closer to you until he was leaning against the table you had spent the evening working at. As the distance closed between your bodies, you felt your heart rate speed up.

“Did you see my match?” He asked, sitting in the chair you had been resting your feet on only a half hour prior.

“I did not. I was working. I didn’t see any of the matches.”

“How do you sit through a two hour show and not watch any of it?”

“Did you watch me book your hotel room for next week?”

His eyebrow arched slightly. “What? No?”

“So why is it so important that I watch you work if you don’t watch me work?” You asked, a cocky expression drifting across your face.

Zack studied you for a moment before smiling back at you and holding his hands up in mock surrender.

“Fair enough.”

“I’m sure you looked good though. You did last night, at least.”

“You saw last night’s match?”

“I watched it back in the hotel.”

You looked away and Zack followed suit but you could see the way his cheeks blossomed as he trained his eyes onto the faux woodgrain of the table. You could see the way his face broke into a satisfied little grin when he realized that, although you had missed his match tonight, you would make a point to see it later.

He wanted you to watch him. For whatever reason, this man that you hardly knew was dead set on having your attention and you were inclined to give it to him.

“So, is this the sort of spot I can normally find you or…?” Zack trailed off.

“What’s this all about?” You asked abruptly, a curious grin challenging his enthusiasm.

Zack’s eyes widened slightly as he sat back in his chair. A nervous laugh wandered from his throat.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are you trying to get? A better hotel room? A flight without a layover? A car to bring you to the airport so you don’t have to call a rideshare? A lot of these things you don’t need to chat me up for. Except for the hotel room, that sort of has to get passed through the head office but -”

“What are you talking about?”

“Clearly you’re here for something. Right?”

“I didn’t even know you worked here until today.” His voice sounded indignant but his face remained smiling and kind. “Believe me, darling, had I known I would’ve tried to ask you out a long time ago.”

And with that you froze.

You found yourself unmoving, unblinking, staring at Zack and you could only imagine how silly you looked. He patiently waited for you to return to the conversation, tracing the lines of the woodgrain near your fingertips as time passed. When he finally began to worry you would remain frozen until the end of time, he gently patted your hand with his.

“You still here?” He asked with a small smile.

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I think I must’ve misheard you.”

“I’m asking you if you’d like to go out with me.” He spoke, quietly.

The brashness he had flaunted earlier had been entirely stripped away, the cocky smugness was gone. All that was left was a man with bright eyes and an optimistic grin.

“Okay, so I heard you right.” You hesitated. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to get something out of me?”

Zack ran a hand over his face as he laughed.

“Yes. I am sure. All I’m trying to get out of this is a date.”

You pursed your lips as though you were deep in thought but you had made your mind up when the conversation had started. Slowly, you held your hand out to him and he stared at it before taking it in his. You both shook for a moment while he tried to contain both his confusion and his amusement.

“Why are we doing this?” He asked, not removing his hand from yours.

“It’s a date.”

“Seriously? You realize we haven’t decided what it is we’re doing on this date, right?”

You shrugged. “That’s okay.”

“We haven’t decided when, either.”

“Well, you could start by riding back to the hotel with me.” You chirped.

Zack couldn’t help but smile at your pleasant demeanor. It wasn’t until his thumb twitched slightly against the back of your palm that you realized neither of you had let go of the other. You held on still, not yet interested in parting.

“If you want,” Zack started. “We could watch tonight’s show together, back at the hotel. Since you said you didn’t get to watch it.”

You tightened your grip slightly against his hand as excitement grew inside your chest.

“I think that’d be fun.” You nodded.

“Right.” Zack stood quickly from the table, surprising you. “I’m in no shape to impress someone such as yourself right now. Can I trust you’ll still be here if I go and shower?”

“Of course.”

“Here.” He pulled the title belt off of his shoulder and slid it towards you. “Guard this for me?”

You ran your fingers over the gold plate in the center and looked to Zack, the metal reflecting shapes of light against his face. You nodded once more.

“It’s safe with me.”

He studied you for just a second longer before breaking out into a beaming grin.

“Fantastic.” He murmured.

And so you sat and you waited and you held onto the IWGP Tag Team Championship belt. And when Zack came out, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he wrapped an arm around your waist and walked you to his rental car. And when you got back to the hotel you watched the evening’s matches on the television while laying in Zack’s bed, atop the duvet and the sheets, your head on his shoulder, his hand on your hip.

And that’s where you stayed, talking and laughing until the sun rose.

Light broke through the clouds. His fingers wove themselves between yours. Sleepy eyed and smiling, you watched the sun draw lines across the floor.

And you lay in his arms. And you drifted in and out. And you were happy.

As you were.

#zack sabre jr fanfic #zsj imagine #zack sabre jr fanfiction #zack sabre jr imagine #zsj #zsj fanfic #zsj fanfiction

[tothehounds]

Desperado grunts, already annoyed that Hiromu can read him despite being miles apart.

Satisfied. Hiromu keeps talking in that steady cadence of his. The one he takes while he’s partly distracted but still splitting half of his attention on the conversation. Still very much invested even if his brain is preoccupied with a million other interesting things.

“You want something. But you don’t want to voice it because your needs might contradict whatever preconceived notions you think the other person might have about your situation. You want to please but you also want to stay firm in your own desires.”

“So I’m fucked either way is what you’re saying?”

Hiromu sighs. Clearly annoyed Desperado just isn’t getting the obvious answer. “There’s no shame in voicing what you want.”

“Then I want you to shut up.”

#my writing #njpw fanfic #zsj/el desperado #for the tumblr crowd incase you didn’t see the update on my twitter timeline #ngl i wrote this and got caught in my own feelings before i realized i had the power to make a happy ending