Ever since you'd started dating Vector, you'd noticed truly how he never really fit in with the other Barians. They criticised his ideas, they ignored his asks for help and they, more often than not, pretended he never was a part of their conquest in the first place.
And even though you made him the happiest he'd ever been and you would always include him in anything you did, Vector would always be the outcast to them, and though he never would admit it, it made him incredibly, exceptionally tired.
Currently, you were pulling Vector by the hand around a grocery store, weaving past busy shoppers and taking small breaths of the freshly baked pastries in the bakery section of the shop. Vector was holding only your hand tightly, not tight enough to hurt, but tight enough so you knew he was still there and hadn't been swamped by the crowds of shopping families. His eyes were squinted in an attempt to limit his tiredness, hoping that if his eyes were at least half closed then his body might think he was sleeping.
He was relying solely on you for direction. (As he often did, his disatatchment from the other Barian's made him very attached to you.)
"Oh! Look over there," you exclaimed, pointing your finger towards a particularly golden looking pastry. "I'm going to go and grab it, wait there."
"Yeah, okay." Vector replied, waking up a little more momentarily when your hand slipped away from his. "Wait." He tried to call after you, but you had already been engulfed by the sea of people. He waited where he was for a moment, the drowsiness in his brain hazing over the memory of you walking away to get the pastry.
His hand was cold, you were gone. He let out a small scream in alarm, gaining himself a few strange stares from the people around him. Where did you go? Why weren't you there anymore? What happened?
Vector started walking through the crowd, slowly at first, trying to walk in a straight line without your guidance. Then his eyes began to wonder around, sliding back and forth in increasing desperation. His pace picked up to a speed-walk, looing up and down the aisles for you.
You, on the other hand, were walking right behind him with a mischievous little smile, wondering how long it would take for him to notice that you were right there.
After about two minutes, Vector had walked around the entire shop twice, dragging his feet due to his prior exhaustion and almost ready to entirely give up and wonder to the front desk or call someone to help.
Just when it looked like he was going to give up and go to sulk in a corner until you collected him, you took a bigger step forwards and wrapped your arms around his middle. At first, he tensed up and you could feel him try to tug away, but he looked down at your hands on his sides and they brightened when he recognised you.
Vector immediately turned around and, with a sudden bout of adrenaline, he lifted you into the air and hugged you tightly. "God! It's about time you showed up." He mumbled, heading for the exit of the shop so you could finally go home with you still in his arms.
"I was right behind you the whole time, Vector." You giggled. Vector instantly dropped you.
"You were?" His eye twitched slightly.
"Yep."
"Oh my god."
You laughed at his perplexed expression and took his hand again, a nice, wholesome feeling bloomed inside him again at your contact.
"Don't tell anyone about this." He mumbled, tailing behind you. "And don't leave me again!"
"I can only promise one of those things will happen."
Vector stuck out his bottom lip, but finding himself too tired to reply, he just tightened his grip on your hand and walked happily beside you.
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