Safety Zone (JO1 Shosei Ohira One Shot)

Safety Zone

Shosei frowned as he watched her come into the room, cowering slightly behind her boyfriend. It was always like this: he was smiling, acting like nothing was wrong, while she cowered slightly by his side, trying to blend in and be forgotten. He hated it. She was more than this: beautiful, smart, full of life. This monster had turned her into a shell of that. He hated him.

"Hey, if something was wrong, you'd tell me right?" he said to his friend as soon as he got the opportunity to be alone with her at the snack table.

She gave him a weak smile. "Sure, Shosei."

"Okay," he replied, but he was unconvinced.

He continued observing her as the party went on, watching all the subtle ways she held herself back even as she socialised, looking happy to the untrained eye. But he knew her better than that.

He'd met her through a mutual friend, before she'd found her current boyfriend, and she was so vibrant and full of life. He'd found himself falling for her instantly, but before he could confess his feelings, she'd been swooped up by someone else, and the rest was history.

"I'm gonna go now," Shosei announced to her when she came back to talk to him. "I'm getting a bit tired now."

She smiled. "Yeah, you were never the party type."

He smiled back, his look soft. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" He finished his drink and turned to leave, but not before pausing by her ear. "Especially if you need to get away from him."

Shosei didn't give her time to react before he was out of the house and on his way.

____

Two nights later, he was awakened by a phone call. Confused at first by his ringtone, he managed to pick up before the last ring sounded.

"Hello?"

He waited until a small voice on the other end finally responded.

"Shosei?"

It was her. She sounded so small and broken that it made him sit up immediately.

"What do you need?" he asked softly.

There was silence for a moment. "Can you come get me please?"

"Text me the address, I'll be there right away," he answered as he pulled a hoodie on.

He drove there as fast as he could and approached silently, in case her boyfriend was anywhere around. She came out of the house as soon as she saw him, holding a small bag.

"I'll take that," he said, putting it in the back, before opening the passenger door for her.

He didn't need to ask questions about what happened; it was clear by the bruises on her arm. He was just happy that she'd called him, as now he'd make sure that she was safe, away from harm.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked, glancing at her next to him. She was gripping the seatbelt with both hands, looking down at her lap, as she softly shook her head.

"I'll take you to my place then."

Shosei had a spare room in his apartment, so after a silent drive, he put her bag there and looked around for blankets, sheets, cosmetics, anything that would make her feel comfortable.

"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" He tried to give as reassuring a smile as possible.

"Okay," she responded, and he left her to sleep it off.

He knew the coming days would be challenging, so he prepared himself mentally to be there for her as much as possible. He always had food prepared even though she insisted he didn't need to, he encouraged her to treat his place as hers and made himself available in spite of his busy schedule. Little by little he felt like he could see some of her shine return, the sparkle he'd first fallen in love with.