Renaissance (Cillian Murphy x Reader)

Part 4

As he said, Cillian texted you less than fifteen minutes later telling you that he was outside of your building. You grabbed the tote bag you had filled with a few things and waited at your door, trying to hear any sound. The last thing you wanted to happen was opening the door and finding Brad waiting in the dark.

Only silence.

You opened the door carefully to avoid making a sound and rushed to the apartment door. Once in the street you looked around for Cillian, he saw you first and got out of his car. He was wearing a plain shirt and a pair of comfy pants, his hair was dishevelled.

When you were close enough you couldn't help snuggling against his chest, leaning your cheek on the soft cotton fabric of his shirt. Cillian hugged you tight and let you cry in silence while he stroked your hair and whispered words to calm you down. He cradled your head with his warm hands and made you look at him, he inspected your face and wiped your tears with his thumbs.

"It's over now, don't worry. Are you better?" he whispered. You gave a thumbs up gesture, doubting that your voice didn't sound like a hoarse duck.

He put his arm on your shoulders and led you to his car. You just let him do it, because deep inside you knew that he wouldn't hurt you. Cillian drove in silence, keeping an eye on you from time to time and occasionally humming the lyrics of the soft music that played on the car radio.

He lived in an expensive neighbourhood, with the kind of apartments that made you wonder how they would be on the inside every time you walked by. You followed him, at the building entrance was a reception desk with a doorman reading a book. The man looked up and wished you goodnight when you passed by his side before returning to his book.

Cillian and you got into the elevator after waiting for a few seconds. The inside was covered by a huge mirror so you took the opportunity to look at your reflection. Your eyes and nose were red due to the crying but other than that, you looked as always. You catched Cillian's eyes on you through the mirror, he cleared his throat and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened.

While he opened the door of his apartment you heard soft noises coming from the other side of the wooden door.

"Shh, Scout. It's just me, calm down" he said, talking to his dog. "Come inside Y/N."

The black dog seemed utterly excited to see you, even though it was the first time. He sniffed you with his wet snout, tickling your legs.

"Sorry" said CIllian, gesturing to the dog.

"Oh no, it's fine. He is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time" you smiled, scratching Scout's head. He wagged his tail happily.

Cillian smiled too. "He seems to like you."

"What an honor."

After that, Cillian gave you a little tour of his apartment, with Scout following the two of you everywhere. You loved the place, it had plenty of books and vinyl records in every corner as well as little mementos from all over the world, from his travels.

"This is the guest room, you can stay here" he pointed to a door at the end of the hall "and that's the bathroom, if you need it."

"Sure."

He turned around to leave you alone but you stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"I don't know how to tell you how grateful I am for what you did tonight, Cillian. You didn't have to. To be honest, I feel like a burden."

He squeezed your hand tenderly.

"Did I ever say that you were a burden?"

You shook your head. "No, but maybe you think it and you don't say it out of politeness."

He rolled his eyes and gave you another squeeze in the hand.

"Really, Y/N? I thought you were smarter than that. Try to sleep a bit, yes? We'll talk tomorrow, for now make yourself at home. And stop thanking me."

"Good night, Cillian."

After putting your bag on a dresser next to the window, you got into the bed and tried to sleep following Cillian's advice.

Unfortunately, you couldn't stop thinking about how your friendship with Brad had been shattered in a moment. It made you a little sad, you had shared secrets with him, even considered him one of your best friends and now he was nothing more than a stranger, someone who you didn't trust anymore. The thought formed a few tears but you didn't let them fall from your eyes, you wouldn't shed more tears for a wanker like him.

Then, you heard the door opening slowly followed by the sound of paws approaching you. Yor relaxed the moment a warm tongue started licking your hand. It made you giggle lightly, you needed it.

"Hi, Scout. You are such a lovely boy, you know?" You could hear his tail hitting the ground. The dog gave you a last lick and laid on the floor at the side of your bed, like a guardian to keep you safe through the night.

The next morning you woke up feeling disoriented, not recognising the room. Like a flood, the memories from last night invaded your mind. You kind of wished it all were a bad dream.

You got out of bed and went to the toilet that CIllian indicated last night, it was very clean and smelled of air freshener. You fixed yourself up a bit before heading to the kitchen, where a series of noises and a delicious smell came from. There, you found Cillian cooking something with Scout at his feet.

"Good morning" you greeted them sheepishly.

Cillian turned around and smiled at you. "I'm making pancakes, hope you like them." Then, he pointed to a kettle. "There's hot water if you want a cup of tea. Or do you prefer coffee?"

"Tea is fine, and your pancakes smell delicious, by the way. Hi, you."

Scout was trying to put his paws around your waist in a weird attempt of a hug, it made you laugh. Cillian sight at the scene.

"I swear, you are his new favourite person."

"He slept in my room last night, it was great. I always wanted a dog but my parents never let me have one." You petted Scout's black fur.

Cillian put a plate of pancakes in front of you.

"Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" he asked, sitting in front of you with two streaming mugs.

You shook your head while grabbing one of the mugs. "I don't even want to think about it."

"But you need to think about what you are going to do, you could find another place to live."

"I can't afford moving right now, I started living with Brad because it was cheaper" you confessed at what Cillian frowned.

"What about your parents? Maybe they can help you..."

You tapped on the table, thinking about your family.

"No, my parents are not an option. They wanted me to become a lawyer but I chose to study History of Art instead, so now I am a big disappointment for them. I'm lucky though, I get a scholarship every year without which I couldn't have studied."

Cillian hummed.

"I started studying law but it was disastrous so I changed my degree" he said, playing with a piece of pancake. " At least you were sincere with your ideas and followed your real passion, without letting your parents control your life. Don't let others put you down, I'm sure that in your life you will achieve everything you set your mind to, because you are a hard working young woman. And in regards to your flatmate, you'll find a way to fix it, you're not alone after all."

"Thank you, Cillian. I really appreciate your words."

"It's the truth" he said, shrugging without taking his eyes off your face.

You felt like crying but this time not out of sadness.

Instead, a warm feeling started flowing from your chest. It was the first time someone had complimented you sincerely, encouraging you to follow your dreams and truly believing in them.