Beneath the soil (Kazuha x reader)

5 - Totally not in love

As I woke up this morning, I played the events of yesterday back in my head. Why did he actually lean down and kiss me? That’s definitely not a normal friend relationship...is it? Oh god, I’ll have to remind him that I’m fifteen. But what if he thinks that I’m overreacting? Geez, I need to stop worrying…
Beidou knocked on my door.
“Rise and shine, come out for breakfast.” Beidou called. 
“Alright…” I was not used to someone other than my mother telling me to wake up. The fact that she immediately accepted me as a criminal stowaway really concerned me…
I found Kazuha leaning on the deck, reading that same depressing book.
“You don’t have to read it, you know.” 
He didn’t react. When I took a look at the page, I almost jumped off the boat.
“Why the hell are you reading that!?” I shouted, making him look up in surprise.
“Reading what?” He asked innocently. 
“How old are you again?” 
“17.”
“Oh.” Of course he was seventeen. For some reason Beidou was eyeing us from behind. Kazuha seemed to notice her as well. 
“Beidou, what do you want?” He sighed. Beidou grinned.
“Just watching the two lovebirds.”
“LoVeBiRdS????” I repeated, terrified. I really hoped Kazuha didn’t think that. I saw, relieved, that Kazuha looked just as terrified as me. 
“We are nothing of the sort.” Kazuha returned to his reading, unbothered, while I was standing open mouthed at Beidou.
“Don’t stand there ogling, it was just a joke.” Beidou grinned, already drinking a mug of liquor. “Unless it’s true…?” 
“Wha-no!” I cried. Why did she like teasing us so much?!
There was a sudden cry from the end of the ship. The crew rushed towards the scream, and Kazuha dragged me out of the chaos.
“What’s going on?” I cried, looking for something attacking us. 
“Water demon. Stay here, Beidou and I will deal with it.” 
Did Kazuha forget that I have a vision too? Kazuha had already rushed off towards the source of the cry. Meanwhile, I grabbed my bow and proceeded to climb the sail. Standing on the edge, I saw a swirling dark shadow in the water, looking somewhat like a massive fish. 
I grabbed my bow and aimed at the eye of the monster, a clear weak point. My geo power slowly absorbed in my arrow, weak because of the lack of dry land. It also meant that using my elemental bursts were useless. Aiming right at the eye, I let go of my arrow. It soared right into its weak spot, making it dysfunction for a second.
Kazuha and Beidou looked up, giving me a thumbs up. I kept shooting my arrows until it was time to summon the feather that flew from the sky; it wouldn’t help much, but it hurt the demon. 
Kazuha looked shocked when I summoned the feather. Together he and Beidou used their elemental bursts to finally destroy the beast. 
No one realised that the boat was sinking until too late. Beidou quickly ran to the leak and tried to patch it up, but the hole was too large. 
“Don’t give up, crew! We will not abandon the crux fleet!” Beidou yelled towards the crew, who remained vigilant. 
They were able to seal off the room which was leaking, but the boat was lopsided. Suddenly there was a giant jurk, and I toppled right off the sails into the icy water. 
I can’t swim. I was never the best at sports, and right when I need to be, I can’t even save myself. I could only splash about in the water until a person with a cryo vision bridged across the water to save me. Kazuha pulled me out of the water with surprising strength; I was born heavy. I was all jittery and trembling, that was until Kazuha pulled me into a tight hug. Interesting. Maybe Beidou was right. Nonetheless, I hugged him gratefully back. 
How embarrassing. I just helped defeat a monster but then I almost drowned. Beidou seemed to sense my embarrassment.
“So, can't you swim? It’s alright, there’s a reason why Kazuha here didn’t swim out after you.” Beidou smiled. Huh, so Kazuha can’t swim either?
“I wasn’t going to endanger her more by endangering myself.” Kazuha explained defiantly. He still had his arms around me.
“Uh…” I stammered. He noticed and let go.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
 I didn’t want to admit it, but while I was lying in bed with a fever the rest of that day, I wished his arms were still wrapped around me.

<3