ODE TO THE MURDERED, bonten

13

PART THIRTEEN !
a foe to friend once again.

THE ONLY SOUNDS KAKUCHO COULD hear was his own beating heart against his chest, you felt cold under his embrace, and he thought that maybe it's due to you being outside in the balcony for God knows how long, wallowing in your own thoughts.

it took five minutes for the tears to wilt down your cold cheeks, face gently inclined towards the male's physique, ears pressed against his dulcet heartbeats throbbing within his chest. Kakucho runs his fingers through your silken tousles, muttering honeyed coaxes to calm you down.

after a few more minutes and making sure your breathing was steadied you nod your head softly, allowing Kakucho to pull away and create a small distance between you two. the male allows himself to divert his eyes yet again, fleetingly roaming his gaze around your room, his frown deepens before he clicks his tongue softly.

"are you drunk?" he asks you, rubbing his calloused thumb against your cheeks. you respond with a shake of your head, "only a bottle today." Kakucho's gaze were steadied on you, watching how your irises blur and flutter. then, his eyes wander until he's realized something.

you were only wearing a camisole and gym shorts, your hair a strewn mess, your room dismal and dark from the lack of open lights, and here he was, with you sitting on your bed that smelled awfully like you and honey strawberries.

suddenly for a moment Kakucho felt lame for feeling incredibly flustered about it. fuck, his hands fly towards your blankets clenching a fistful of it within his grasps then wrapping you with it. fuck, Kakucho is twenty-six, a gangster prone to violence and could have any woman he wanted and yet here he was feeling like he's seventeen again, it's quite childish.

after wrapping you so suddenly with the blanket, and not meeting the way you peek your head from the fabric with furrowed confusion, the male stands up and he hopes the red tips of his ears go unnoticed against the dimness of your room. "have you eaten, y/n?" he asks. "i brought you food from a restaurant i had with a few co-workers."

"okay." was but your short reply, Kakucho nods his head and stands up, movements a little reluctant and awkward. "i'll uhm, be in the kitchen if you don't mind. please, take your time to prepare yourself."

the tall male makes his way to the door, stops when he hears you utter his name again, so softly. he watches as your eyes soften a touch when you see him looking back at you, awaiting your response.

"thank you, really."

his heart suspends within his chest, allowing your voice to melt in his ears. "ofcourse." he starts. "i'll be here when you need to."

funny, when did the apathetic and steely Kakucho go soft for someone?

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the confidence he had as he barrels out of an important dinner with Bonten and barges into your apartment uninvited had faded into a ghostly howl as soon as you were now in front of him looking freshened up, dampened wine bidding your newly baked skin from the hot showers as you were perched on the dining chair across from Kakucho, quietly stuffing the food he had brought with him, minding your own business.

the man quietly observes you as you fiddled shortly, eyes fleeting over you. somehow, just watching you here in close proximity from the man after many, many years made Kakucho feel rather bare and bashful. you didn't change as much, but there were subtle features that peaked his eyes unconsciously. his cheeks explode with red, when he realizes: that you've grown into a young, matured woman. a person who was slightly different from old time memories he clung to within his mind.