𝗙 𝗔 𝗟 𝗟 𝗜 𝗡 𝗚 （ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ）

15. 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠

I retrieved into the familiar guest bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind me. To my surprise, the room had barely changed, the same furniture still there, arranged in the same fashion it used to be. It was comforting, the familiar environment of this room.

Though, my slight anger towards Hawks at the moment didn't fade. I plopped into the bed, laying still for a while to gather my thoughts. I knew Hawks didn't mean any harm by it, if anything, he probably had no idea I'd react how I did. I could blame him, but still, I feel as though he should've known a bit better than to be that forward.

I sat up, pulling my legs into my chest, and then shuffling again to sit criss cross. I couldn't tell whether my uncomfortableness was due to the now aging bed, or because of the amount of unrest that boiled inside of me.

It wasn't long until a single crimson feather came slipping through the bottom crack of the door, coming up and the swooping down into my lap from where I sat atop my old bed. There was no doubt that this was Keigo's first step at making amends, but I couldn't help but wish he'd come in here himself, instead of sending one of his little minions.

"Shoo." I told it simply, still having trouble getting rid of the tingle of anger inside of me. The feather didn't do as I asked, instead snuggling into my lap. I caved at the warm gesture, petting the fluffy little thing to give myself a sense of comfort.

"Y/N..." I could hear him say from the other side of the closed door, a hint of pleading in his voice.

What am I even doing... I came here to help him but now I'm just being a bitch and making him chase after me...

I took hold of the stripe of red in front of me, furrowing my eyes at it while I made my decision. I held it firmly, swinging myself off of the bed, and heading towards the door.

I placed my hand on the knob, my nature telling me I was right to storm off, but my heart telling me to put aside my pride and just embrace him. As usual, I fell victim to my heart, turning the cold metal, only to be met by a droopy winged Keigo. He looked up at me, straightening his posture, and the feather in my hand zoomed back to its rightful place on his wings.

"Look I'm sorry-" I sighed, beginning to apologize for my ridiculousness.

Before I could finish, Hawks engulfed me into an unexpected hug, his arms around my waist pulling me into extremely close contact with his hard chest, and his fluffy wings curling around me and brushing against my back.

"No.... I shouldn't have blurted it out like that." He told me, though it was muffled.

"It's okay... I think we both didn't handle it right." I told him, and felt him nod furiously.

"Hey," he pulled back, a small and hopeful smile replacing his sadness from earlier. I was beyond glad he was okay with moving in from the touchy subject. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh..." I thought, realizing that I hadn't eaten since lunch, and I'd been rather... occupied since then. "Yeah, were you gonna go pick something up or-"

The bird cut me off again. "I'll cook something!" He smiled, so big that his eyes almost squinted shut. I knitted my eyebrows together, clearly confused. He took my hand excitedly, leading me into the kitchen. To my surprise, he took it upon himself to hoist me on top of the island. I assumed he was eager to have me watch him.

Is that....? I pondered, seeing him grab familiar ingredients from his cabinet/fridge.

"Oh!" The blond exclaimed, pausing his hasty ingredient prepping on the counter across from me to look at me for affirmation. "You still like (F/F)... right?"

I nodded, surprised that he remembered that after all this time, but even more puzzled as to how he knew it in the first place, considering I didn't recall telling him. He beamed yet another bright smile, resuming his tasks of preparing the dish. As he did, I became more fascinated by the kitchen itself, seeing Hawks grab things from the fully stocked cabinets and drawers, and even more astonished by the plentiful fridge.

"When did you learn to cook?" I questioned, crossing my legs, and earning a low chuckle from him. He turned to me once more, this time leaving his cooking and coming to stand in front of me.

"I've learned lots of things while you were away!" He booped my nose with his pointer finger, swiftly turning away once he did so I had no chance to return the favor. Cute.

It wasn't long until it was done, and Hawks served me my plate. We didn't bother sitting at the table, instead, he stood across from me, using the counter behind him as support to lean on.

"Well?" He asked, coaxing me to take the first bite. I did as he asked, surprised as it tasted better than any I've ever had before.

My eyes widened as I suppressed the urge to down the entire meal in one fell swoop. "How did you...?"

"Years of practice~" the blond sang simply, pride clearly visible, as well as a satisfied smirk on his face. His mood swiftly changed though, as he placed his fish in the sink. The air thickened to seriousness, and I sat my plate down beside me as he approached. "Look I..." he gulped, having a hard time forming his words. I softened my face, scooting off the counter to stand in front of him. " I want you to stay here."

'What, so that I can get all comfy and then you can make me leave again?' Was my first thought, but I shook that negative reflex off quickly.

"I think it'll be easier to answer all your questions and show you how I feel that way..." he trailed off, his shifting eyes occasionally grazing across my barren face. Once again, his hands gently held both of mine, the rough pads of his worn thumbs swiping across my soft skin.

I dropped my head to the ground, opting to be honest with him about my doubts. "Last time I did that, it didn't work out like it was supposed to..."

He stood up straight, causing me to do the same. "It won't be like that this time, I swear." He shined a reassuring smile, though his hand dropped from mine. "I'm not a hero anymore, which means there's no one who can hurt you. And... I can always be there to protect you."

I still wondered why exactly he retired after that incident. I mean, his wings healed just fine after a bit of time, and both the media and commission were urging him too, so... why? He was right, I had so many questions, and if staying here for a little bit would give me answers, I'll do it without question.

"Just for a week?" I asked, slightly chuckling at the irony. We were right back at where we started.

Keigo smiled, glad I was accepting his offer. "Just for a week, kid."

~~

A/N

yes this IS a filler because I was busy writing Hawks smut today 😀