Redemption (Midas x Reader)

• XVI •

It had been four days.

Four whole days since I'd seen his face, touched his skin, smelled him.

I'd been training hard everyday, which helped keep my mind mostly quiet while I was busy, but every waking minute I was alone was filled with thoughts of him. The nights were especially hard. All I wanted was to wake up in his arms again.

Or wake up with his fingers inside me.

I was trying hard to ignore the more intrusive thoughts, about how I didn't deserve him, or maybe he'd change his mind about me by the time he got back, or maybe he was away with another woman.

He had said he'd be gone a few days, but didn't a few indicate three? He hadn't told me where he was going, and nobody else had volunteered the information. Surely someone knew, more than likely everyone but me. It really didn't help with the whole "making me feel like I belonged" thing.

The longer he was gone, the more nervous I was getting. My anxiety was only exacerbated by the fact that whenever I walked into a room, all conversation stopped, all eyes were on me.

Obviously the rumors about us had spread, and it took every ounce of strength I had each day to muster the confidence to leave my room. Currently I was sitting on the edge of my bed, trying to do just that.

I was scheduled to meet with Tek after lunch, to go over some surveillance basics. I'd ended up spending more time with him than anyone else this week.

He was being perfectly nice, but I was still awkward around him, having only just spoken to him for the first time a couple days ago, apart from him yelling at me the night Midas was shot.

I had been in the process of trying to fix a piece of exercise equipment in the gym when he'd approached to see what I was doing.

"Hey, need any help there?" he'd asked me.

"Honestly, I could use a screwdriver if you have one," I'd replied tentatively, wondering if I was about to be scolded for taking it upon myself to do someone else's job.

He'd given me a funny look before saying, "Yeah, sure...I'll be right back."

God, I hope he's not another chauvinist asshole like that guy on the roof that thinks women can't fix shit, I'd thought.

Once he'd returned, he stood to the side and watched me work, which had made me nervous, but also determined to do a good job.

It was an easy fix, taking only about five minutes or so. He'd looked impressed, and tried it out to see if it worked.

"Wow, our maintenance guys told me we needed to order a part," he'd said.

"Yeah, well, don't take this the wrong way, but your maintenance guys are completely inept," I'd replied, thinking about the air conditioning fiasco.

"What else can you fix?" he'd asked, eyeing me curiously and making me even more anxious.

"Well...most things with moving parts, I guess. At Shadow I worked on boats mostly," I'd said, pausing, feeling myself flush, embarrassed at reminding him where I'd come from. "Cars, helicopters, an occasional broken down piece of equipment."

"What about computers? Robotics?" he'd asked, causing me to glance at his metal arm.

I'd cleared my throat uncomfortably, before replying, "No, sorry, um...Shadow didn't allow us near that stuff. They, uh...only educated us as much as they had to."

I'd had another of those transient thoughts then, remembering how Remedy had spoken of Midas' intelligence, leaving me once again feeling as though I wasn't good enough for him. In any way.