#NikiImagine

[zeroseuniverse]

Diamond In The Rough

Word Count: 1.2K Summary: “And you?” he asked hesitantly. “What do you do?” Her lips curled into something between a smirk and a grimace. “I even the playing field.” Pairing: Riki X Fem Reader

Disclaimer: Please be aware that this is apart of the from the ashes series. This series will have aspects of violence, weapons, angst, blood, injuries, killing, and will heavily focus on oppression and segregation of mutants, Look after your mental state if any of these make you uncomfortable please.

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The city had never been kind to people like her. Mutants were hunted, controlled, forced into submission—but she had never been one to bow. Not when she had power, real power, gleaming beneath her skin like a diamond waiting to be carved into a weapon.

And yet, here she was, sitting across from a boy who had no idea who she really was.

“You’re staring again,” Riki said, grinning as he sipped his drink.

She tilted her head, smirking. “Maybe I just like the view.”

He laughed, easy and carefree, a sound so foreign in her world that it almost made her uneasy. Riki was a civilian, an ordinary boy in an extraordinary city, blissfully unaware of the battle waging just beneath the surface. Maybe that was why she kept coming back to him—because he was normal, because he reminded her of something she’d never had.

“Careful,” he teased. “Keep looking at me like that and I’ll think you actually like me.”

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. “And if I did?”

Riki blinked, caught off guard for a split second before shaking his head with a chuckle. “Then I’d ask what a girl like you is doing with a guy like me.”

The truth hovered on the tip of her tongue. Because you’re human. Because you don’t look at me with fear. Because you don’t know what I am.

Instead, she shrugged. “Maybe I like a little mystery.”

Riki grinned, but before he could respond, a commotion outside caught her attention. The air shifted, charged with something dangerous. Her fingers twitched at her side, the glimmer of diamond creeping up her skin as she instinctively prepared for a fight.

Riki noticed the change in her posture. “You okay?”

She forced herself to relax, to push the power back down. “Yeah,” she said, standing. “I just need some air.”

He frowned but didn’t question it. “I’ll wait here.”

She stepped outside, cold air biting against her skin, and immediately spotted the source of the disturbance. Enforcers. Armed and scanning the streets, looking for someone. Looking for her.

Her jaw tightened. She could take them—she always could. But not here. Not with him so close.

For the first time, she hesitated.

And then—

“Hey,” Riki’s voice pulled her back. He had followed her, standing just a step behind. His brows furrowed as he took in her tense stance. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She turned to him, her lips parting—but the enforcers saw her first.

“There!”

The world seemed to slow.

Riki barely had time to react before she was moving, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with her. “Run.”

And for the first time, Riki realized—she wasn’t just a mystery.

She was something else entirely.

“Run.”

Riki barely had time to react before she was pulling him into the alleyway, her grip firm but careful. The enforcers’ heavy boots pounded against the pavement behind them, their voices barking orders, their weapons primed to shoot.

“Hey—what the hell is happening?” Riki panted, struggling to keep up. “Who are they?”

She didn’t answer. No time.

The alley was a dead end.

“Shit.”

Riki turned, chest heaving, his panic obvious. But when he looked at her, expecting fear, he found none. Instead, she stood tall, shoulders squared, her breath steady. And as the enforcers closed in, something changed.

Her skin began to shimmer.

Riki’s eyes widened as a crystalline layer spread across her body, starting from her fingertips and rushing upward like frost on glass. Her soft, warm flesh transformed into gleaming, unbreakable diamond, catching the dim city light and refracting it like a living prism.

The enforcers hesitated.

“Target confirmed,” one of them muttered. “Mutant class—”

She didn’t let him finish.

With inhuman speed, she launched forward, slamming her fist into the closest enforcer’s chest. The sheer force sent him flying into the wall, the concrete cracking on impact. Another raised his weapon, but before he could fire, she grabbed the barrel and crushed it in her grip, metal twisting like paper in her diamond fingers.

Riki could only stare.

The third enforcer tried to call for backup, but she turned to him, eyes glinting. “Put that down,” she said, her voice velvet-soft but filled with something commanding.

He stiffened. His hands twitched—fighting against himself—but he obeyed, dropping the radio. His pupils were dilated, his body rigid.

“What the—” Riki whispered, watching the man move as if puppeteered.

She took a step closer, gaze locked onto the enforcer’s. “Now turn around. Walk away.”

And just like that, he did.

Riki exhaled a shaky breath. “You—what was that?”

She turned to him, the diamond layer fading as her skin returned to normal, smooth and warm again. Her lips quirked up in the smallest of smirks. “Telepathy. A little persuasion, if you will.”

Riki ran a hand through his hair, eyes still wide with disbelief. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” she breathed, glancing at the unconscious enforcers. “We need to go.”

He didn’t argue.

As they slipped back into the shadows, Riki’s mind reeled. He had always felt there was something different about her—but this? This was beyond anything he could have imagined.

They didn’t stop running until they reached the lower district, where neon signs flickered weakly above shuttered storefronts and the air smelled like rain-soaked metal. Riki’s breath was ragged, but hers remained steady—like she had done this a thousand times before.

He finally tugged his arm free, turning to face her. “Okay,” he huffed. “We’re safe. Now you’re gonna tell me what the hell is going on.”

She wiped a smudge of dirt off her sleeve, unbothered by his outburst. “I saved your life.”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Riki threw up his hands. “From who? Why were they after you? Why were they after me?”

“They weren’t after you,” she corrected. “They were after me. You were just collateral.”

Riki swallowed. “Collateral? What does that even—” His voice trailed off as realization dawned. “Wait. You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

She didn’t deny it.

His stomach twisted. “So what are you? Some kind of—”

“Mutant,” she finished for him, voice devoid of shame. “And before you freak out, no, I don’t go around controlling people’s minds or turning into diamond just because I can.”

Riki shook his head, running a hand through his damp hair. “You crushed a gun with your bare hands.”

“And saved you from getting shot,” she pointed out.

He exhaled sharply. “I mean—yeah, but—”

Her gaze softened just a fraction. “Riki,” she said, quieter now. “The enforcers? They’re Corps. They’re rounding up mutants, sympathizers—anyone who doesn’t fit into their perfect little system. If they had caught me, I’d be locked in a lab or worse.”

Riki’s mind reeled. He had always known the world was getting worse, but hearing it this clearly—from someone who had seen the worst of it—was different.

“And you?” he asked hesitantly. “What do you do?”

Her lips curled into something between a smirk and a grimace. “I even the playing field.”

A silence stretched between them, thick with unsaid things.

Then, distant sirens howled.

She tensed. “We should keep moving.”

Riki hesitated. “Where are you going?”

She met his gaze, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. “You sure you want to know?”

He had no reason to follow. No reason to trust her.

But he did.

“…Yeah,” he murmured. “I do.”

Her smirk turned knowing, and without another word, she turned and walked into the night.

Riki exhaled, then stepped forward, following her into the unknown.

[ly-sona]

[❀] ❝ comfort 。ni-ki ❞

❀ pair: ni-ki x fem!oc ❀ tags: sulking and apologies ig- its just some cute fluff ❀ au: established relationship ❀ warnings: fluff ❀ word count: 597 ❀ status: completed

She was sulking. Mirae was sulking.

She usually never sulked—she was usually calm, sweet, composed, and understanding.

But today, she needed her boyfriend.

Mirae had come to her boyfriend's house after school, extremely disheartened by the bad grade she'd gotten. She didn't think she'd do so bad on a simple math test, so when she saw the grade she didn't expect, she'd almost burst into tears right then and there.

She thought going to see her boyfriend would be good—he always knew how to cheer her up. However, that's not what happened.

"Rae, I'm busy," Niki said as he smashed the buttons of his keyboard. "HEESEUNG HYUNG WATCH OUT."

He barely looked at her. And she was upset. She eventually laid down on his bed, hugging his teddy bear as she stared at the nightstand. Tears streamed down her face in disappointment and sadness.

Nothing was going right for her today.

Maybe she could've caused a fuss to get Niki to pay attention to her, but she couldn't get herself to bring that attention onto herself. She liked to be understanding, and she'd have felt bad if she forced him to stop doing what he likes to do to relax.

Yet, she couldn't stop the overwhelming that transformed into the heavy teardrops that pooled around her eyes. And she eventually drifted off to sleep, tired from silently crying.

When Niki finally switched off his console, he turned around to see Mirae sound asleep on his bed. Smiling at the sight of his cute girlfriend, he moved over to truly observe her—that is, until he saw her tear-stained face.

Why was she crying?

Millions of thoughts raced through his head as he started pondering what may have happened.

Was she crying when she got here?

Remembering her wavering tone, a wave of guilt washed over the young male as he realized that she was. He didn't even bother to give her the attention that she had clearly needed, and it made him feel terrible. Quickly, he ran into the kitchen, picking up some matcha pocky from his pantry before returning. Hesitantly, he woke her up.

"Rae?"

Mirae groggily opened her eyes, confused as she stared at him. She was so deep into her slumber that she'd forgotten where she was for a moment, expecting to see her own bed. Then, she remembered, and her confused face dropped to a subtle frown—one which Niki easily noticed.

"Yes?" she mumbled in question. Her voice was an octave lower than usual, adding to her emotional state.

"Why were you crying?" he asked, genuinely worried as he took a seat on his bed. "Did something bad happen during classes?"

Mirae shook her head, taking in a deep breath. She guessed she should explain what caused her emotions to reach such a messy state.

"I did bad on my test—really bad. I've felt like shit all day," she started before mumbling, "which is why I came here."

Niki frowned, realizing he'd blatantly ignored her when she needed him. "I'm sorry for being insensitive," he spoke, moving closer to her to capture her in a hug.

Mirae instantly returned the hug, unable to be angry at the boy for a long period of time. She understood that he was immersed in the game.

"Don't worry, you did nothing wrong," she reassured him.

"But I did though," he pouted before pulling out the pack of matcha pocky. "How about this and movie night for an apology?"

Mirae smiled, instantly grabbing the delicious chocolate snack out of his hands.

"Apology accepted!"

unedited

started and finished—11/1/2021

a/n: hehe- i wrote this for my friend :D

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[jjongswannabebae]

comforting🥺🥺🥺

[❀] ❝ comfort 。ni-ki ❞

❀ pair: ni-ki x fem!oc ❀ tags: sulking and apologies ig- its just some cute fluff ❀ au: established relationship ❀ warnings: fluff ❀ word count: 597 ❀ status: completed

She was sulking. Mirae was sulking.

She usually never sulked—she was usually calm, sweet, composed, and understanding.

But today, she needed her boyfriend.

Mirae had come to her boyfriend’s house after school, extremely disheartened by the bad grade she’d gotten. She didn’t think she’d do so bad on a simple math test, so when she saw the grade she didn’t expect, she’d almost burst into tears right then and there.

She thought going to see her boyfriend would be good—he always knew how to cheer her up. However, that’s not what happened.

“Rae, I’m busy,” Niki said as he smashed the buttons of his keyboard. “HEESEUNG HYUNG WATCH OUT.”

He barely looked at her. And she was upset. She eventually laid down on his bed, hugging his teddy bear as she stared at the nightstand. Tears streamed down her face in disappointment and sadness.

Nothing was going right for her today.

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