𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧 | yuki s. x reader fanfic

forty-four - him

without being

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

|The listener who had subconsciously found herself clinging on to every single word that had come out of his mouth.

Silence. A breath-taking pause of this long confrontation this boy never dreamed he would be doing.

However, more than breath-taking, it felt nerve-wracking to him. The thing is he could feel the anxiety, the nervousness - not radiating off him, but...

her.

Being chewed from the inside out was never something enjoyable, was it? Because it did not seem very much of a joyful activity when he saw her do it to herself. The family head, supposedly the greatest of the Sohma family, had brought herself down to her knees, bending down and trembling all over.

He took a step forward, then another. And another.

You would think that he was still afraid, afraid his past might catch up to him once more, putting him back in 'his place', convincing him that he deserved nothing more than despair and hatred and not a single ounce of care or warmth or something many would call love.

But he was no longer afraid. What he was afraid of, though, was her suffering the fate he used to fear.

Being abandoned. Lonely. Not needed by anyone or anything. No purpose.

'Let me help you.' He bent down.

"You don't need to be the God of the zodiac to be deserving of love... Anyone is, really. And we would never abandon you just because there are others in our lives. Isn't that what it means to be a part of a true family?"

His tone was gentler now, any more harsh would have truly broke her.

"We don't need zodiac bonds to prove that we are connected to one another. To have any reason at all to matter to others. Heck, we don't even need to be family to be important to each other."

The more he talked, the steader his tone became. And Akito grew calmer. She was no longer shaking, though she stayed silent, eyes downcast as she hugged her knees close to her chest.

He gave her shoulder a small pat, his hand resting there a moment longer before standing up himself.

"I believe I've said everything I needed to. I'll be going." As he headed for the door, he paused. "I hope you can give consideration to my words."

And, shut. He slid the door close behind him.

He felt his heart beating. The rhythm was quick, although he didn't fear the sensation at all. He had just overcome the thing he wanted to confront the most - the source of all his memories drowned in utter despair. He put a hand over his heart, a small smile forming from the tips of his lips.

This feeling of renewal coursing through his veins may be the reason for the quick beating of his heart, he wasn't sure. But that did not matter to him right then.

Mission accomplished.

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

overcome by them.

words: 509
published: 28/12/2021