Shut your mouth! [Yata Misaki x Reader]

Chapter 14: Family

          "Where the hell were you?! Are you all right?! Why didn't you wait for me to go wherever it is you went?!"

          "Relax, chihuahua. She was with me, there's no need to worry."

          "I'm not a chihuahua, you peroxide blond!"

          [Y/N] ignored the two guys and headed to his room. She wasn't in the mood for any fights; she just wanted to get some rest. Now that she had nothing else to do but wait for Saruhiko to find something, she felt everything coming back to her. In those moments, emotionally she was like a roller coaster, going up and down in a continuous cycle. After spending the morning 'cheered up' —meaning by cheered up, not bursting into tears in a span of two hours— the pain would come back to her, haunting her and reminding her that, while she went on with her life, Ryu was gone.

          She barely managed to hold back the tears until she opened the door to her room. Once inside, tears began to well up, blurring her vision, and she dropped to the floor. Why now? She seemed to be fine, she had been handling it pretty well all day, ever since she had woken up in Yata's arms. Yata... How could someone so temperamental and impulsive have such a reassuring effect on her? It must be true that love could work miracles.

          "[Y/N]", Tatara called, knocking on the door with his knuckles. "Are you feeling alright? Do you want to talk? Do you need anything?"

          The young woman remained silent. What could she tell him? That she felt like her chest was being stabbed over and over? That she was trying to be strong but the pain of loss was stronger than her? That the only person who could soothe that pain, was the same person she had been arguing with for months over silly things? That she wanted to get revenge on those guys and have Yata at her side? Too many things and all of them seemed foolish. She didn't want them to worry about her any more than they already were.

          "I know you can hear me, [Y/N]", she listened as the brown-haired man sat down on the other side of the door. "It may seem like the end of the world to you now, but you're going to make it, that's what we're here for. From the moment you bumped into Mikoto your future was already set. You can't get rid of us, we are your family and the family takes care of each other", Tatara took a breath before continuing with his speech. "We may not have blood ties but we are HOMRA, and HOMRA stands together. If you are feeling bad, so are we [Y/N]. Don't try to keep it all to yourself because that's only going to make it worse. You have us here for you, all of us. Mikoto, Izumo, Anna, Kōsuke, Eric, Chitose... Yata... We all care about you, [Y/N]. If there's anything you need just say so, but don't keep it. Isolating yourself won't solve anything."

          She wanted to say something, to tell them that they also mattered to her, that she knew she could trust them, but she lacked self-confidence. What if she became a burden to them? It had always been Ryu and her. Her brother was the only person she really trusted, her friend and advisor. Apart from him, she had always been alone. Until she joined HOMRA she knew no one who understood her. Most people her age lived carefree and happy lives, oblivious to how hard it was for her to take care of everything at home. While others went to the park or to the movies with their friends, she spent her afternoons cleaning, cooking or ironing because Ryu was working —he didn't have time for it, and also, he wasn't very good at it—. She had never felt like she fit in, and now that she did, she didn't want to be a nuisance.

          "Are you still there? Come on, let's go. Talk to me. Do you want some ice cream? Watch bad movies? Gag Yata and dress him up as a woman? I can even take pictures of him and then we could blackmail him."

          [Y/N] giggled at the image of a mad Yata dressed as a doll. Tatara was right, HOMRA was now her family. Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, the young woman got up to open the door. However, she barely touched the doorknob when the door burst open, knocking her to the floor.