Creve Coeur | Ahri x Male Reader

Chapter 17: There's No One Else Quite Like My Mom

Third Person POV

'Will you be my date to prom?'

These words echoed through his head more times than he would like to admit.

It felt as if everything other than himself and her disappeared, like nothing else mattered right now.

A part of him were screaming at him to agree, but another was telling him to respectfully decline and not get both of their hopes up.

"I..." He struggled to form words, not exactly knowing how to answer.

He was a bit thankful when his ringtone started playing. Standing up, he whipped his phone out of his pocket and gave Ahri a nervous smile. "I'll...be back with your answer, let me take this." With those words, he rushed out of the building with his phone clutched tightly in his hand.

Rakan chuckled softly and shook his head. "That boy's got it bad.."

While the remaining group began to converse between one another, Ahri was staring at the door of the establishment with a confused expression.

While she knew (Name) far less than any of the boys, she still knew that something like that had an extremely small chance of making him react like he did.

After a minute or two, (Name) walked back into the restaurant, only he didn't look nervous anymore.

He looked calm, but one could easily tell that there was anger bubbling beneath the surface, ready to be let loose.

"I gotta go.." He forced out, placing some money on the table as softly as he could and then turning around, heading back towards the door.

The boys quickly paid for their own orders and stood up, following after him. Ahri took a step before glancing over her shoulder at her friends.

Kai'sa looked concerned, Evelynn looked indifferent, and Akali was still focused on her chocolate milk.

Evelynn just rolled her eyes, gaining an amused smile before motioning Ahri to follow them.

She gave her friends a thankful nod and sped off after the group.

(Name) walked fast and with a purpose towards his home with a frown marring his features. 'The fucking audacity...'

"(Name)!"

The voice of his friends temporarily gained his attention. Turning around, he granted them a frustrated gaze. "...what?"

"What's your deal, dude?" Ezreal queried, "what happened?"

"I'm fine." He lied through his teeth and continued walking with them following behind him.

Ekko looked conflicted. "You're obviously not. You don't usually get this mad."

"He's right, you're usually pretty level-headed." Yasuo agreed.

"Maybe I'm good actor..."

"For years?"

"An amazing actor, then. Look, I'll tell you guys what's up later, I just have to deal with something first.." (Name) spoke with a sigh, his frustration turning into exhaustion.

The boys glanced at one another for a couple of seconds and then nodded softly.

"Okay, we'll take your word for it." Ezreal answered reluctantly.

Rakan then gained a small smirk. "Have fun explaining this to your girlfriend though."

With that, they broke off and left (Name), all extremely conflicted.

Meanwhile, the man of the hour rubbed his head and groaned softly. "Now if I can just get hom-"

"(Name)!"

"Brilliant."

Ahri stopped in front of him, breathing heavily, using her hands on her knees to brace herself. "Are...you okay?" She asked quietly.

His expression softened. The first thing she worried about was his well-being instead of getting information.

"I'm..." He thought about lying again for a split second until their eyes met and that thought was washed away. "I'm not okay." He whispered. "But I will be."

Ahri was conflicted at whether or not to be happy at his honesty or upset because of how he was feeling.

What he needed right now wasn't to be prodded for information, he needed comfort....a healthy way to release his anger.

Luckily for him, she was there.

She spread her arms and took a few steps forward. "I'm here for you, (Name)." Her voice was only loud enough for him to hear. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing softly. "No matter what."

(Name) froze in place at the sudden contact, but after a few seconds of not moving, his arms slowly came up and returned the embrace. He didn't trust himself to speak right now, so he remained silent, relishing in the warmth of her body and the comfort it brought him.

'I promise I'll give you your answer later...' He told himself. 'Thank you, Ahri.'

All anger from before disappeared from his body, leaving him with a slightly fuzzy feeling.

'Thank you.'

Timeskip

(Name) had always hated hospitals.

The scent of antiseptic did a mediocre job of covering the stench of blood, body odor, and shitty food.

The repeated beeping of machines and the muted chatter of both patients and workers went through one of his ears and out of the other. After all, complaining about the environment wasn't why he was here.

He wasn't here to visit a loved one, or for a check up...no, he was here for something much more important.

He was here to prove a point.

He needn't ask a doctor for directions, and he doubted he'd be able to right now. He was only interested in speaking to one person right now.

Coming to a stop in front of a seemingly random door, his hand hovered above the handle for a few seconds.

Steeling his nerves, he gripped the doorknob before turning it and entering the room.

The smell of chemicals hit him immediately, making him gag and furrow his brows.

Ignoring that for now, he leveled a harsh glare at the person inhabiting the room.

On the bed was a sickly looking woman. She was hooked up to a couple of machines, but she didn't look too bothered by this fact.

"You actually came..." She croaked out.

(Name) calmed himself down, managing to keep a calm facade. "It's the first time you've reached out to me in years...figured I'd at least humor you."

The woman chuckled softly, and turned to face him, her (Hair Color) hair falling against the pillow underneath her head. "You remind me of myself when I was younger."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm nothing like you.."

"I know, I know." She responded. "You're a lot better than me." Her smiled then dropped. "You've grown so much....you look exactly like your father."

"Cut the shit," (Name) hissed out, "I know you didn't fucking call me here to catch up after nine years."

She was silent, only staring at him.

"Well?" He urged, his (Hair Color) hair catching her attention.

"...okay." She mumbled. "I'll explain why I called you here."

(Name) rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Hurry up then. You called me here to talk...."

For the first time in nine years, they made eye contact.

"So let's talk, Mom."