They Say I'm Home |Jay x Reader|

𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒 𝐈 𝐗 𝐓 𝐄 𝐄 𝐍

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡

𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒, his breath heavy as a layer of sweat covered his skin, causing his bangs to stick to his forehead. His blood pumped through his veins, forcing his muscles to keep going, even if they screamed in agony with every step he took. He heaved another short breath as he turned another corner, silently cursing Jay for dropping him off on the opposite end of the campus where Genie's office was located.

He had less than twenty minutes to run across campus, find Genie, receive the key component to his plan, and run all the back across campus to meet Jay and Carlos back in their dorms. It was a task that would've been near impossible for anyone, but when your best friend and the girl you care about lives are at stake, you make the impossible doable, no questions asked.

His body slammed against a wall as he turned a corner too fast, not realizing a fake plant was resting peacefully in his way. He grunted, using his hands to protect his head before he pushed himself off of the wooden object.

He glanced at one of the many grandfather's clocks in the hallway, his brows creasing together as he took in the time. Fifteen minutes left to get back to the younger boys' dorm and he has yet to even reach the Guardian's office. The Gods must hate him today. If Genie wasn't hiding in his office like he usually is, he would shave the man's head the next time he saw him.

A poor attempt of a grin appeared on the black-haired boy's lips as he reached the door that had the Guardian's name written at the top. Genie was never a man of habit, nor was he a fan of routine, but Nakoa knew for a fact that he became a work-alcoholic whenever he was stressed and caffeine was his only intake of liquid. He was praying to the Wielder of the Light Crystal that he didn't change his routine tonight, and was sleeping.

He placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open, not bothering to even knock; he wasted enough time already. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he saw Genie sitting behind his desk, a small desk lamp illuminating the room, and his glasses resting neatly on the brim of his nose. His hair looked dishevelled as if he were running his hand through it with every passing minute. Cardboard coffee cups and mugs littered across his desk, some even knocked over off the floor, the contents inside spilling over, but the older man didn't seem to care.

Genie took his glasses off, a groan escaping his lips as he seemed oblivious to the second person in the room. He ran his hand through his hair, his fingers tugging at the knots that had formed. Dark eyebags formed at the bottom of his eyes, making the man look older than he was. His elbows rested on his desk, his head resting between his hands, using his thumbs to support his chin while his index and middle fingers rubbed small soothing circles on his temples. Unfinished paperwork and documents were scattered across his desk, seeming to be untouched for hours.

Nakoa lied. Genie was a man of habit when it came to dealing with stress: Locking himself away, drowning himself in work, and denying his body sleep as he downed coffee cup after coffee cup.

The black-haired boy walked up to the desk, poking Genie's head. "Genie?"

The Guardian jolted up, his eyes widening in shock. "Oh—uh, Koa," he yawned, the rush of adrenaline seemed to have left his body just as fast as it appeared. "What are you doing here? Is Y/N back?" He rubbed his hands across his face, trying to wake himself up.

Nakoa blinked a few times, his brows creasing together as he had difficulty meeting Genie's eyes. "No, uh, there's actually another reason why I—we came back," he took a deep breath, shame flooding his body, "Something happened on the Isle."