・❥・ 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 | Kazuha x reader | SHORT STORY ・❥・

Reconcile

The sunlight from the window casted such a soft glow onto the man's peaceful face, that it was almost like it was dancing atop his softened complexion. His loose pale blonde hair laid softly over his neck, strands slowly falling as he moved ever so slightly.

You could now see the very subtle freckles from the sun that flecked his skin, and his hardly noticeable blonde eyelashes. It was peaceful at this moment, his breathing a sign that there was still life in the morning that seemed so desolate.

You had missed this. Quietly observing up close the things that few got to see, the things that you'd never be able to cherish again should the world snatch him away from you. This warmth, something that you wanted to last forever, broken by the frigid winds of the unforgiving ocean. This ocean of uncertainty.

As you quietly pondered these fears, Kazuha would shift in his spot beneath the covers. The sounds of the sheets twisting against eachother was enough for you to briefly come back to the now, as your worries dissipated. He opened his ruby eyes as his vision adjusted to the bright surroundings.

As you sat on the opposite side of the bed, the man heaved himself upward to face you entirely, the springs beneath him shrieking. "Feel any better?" You hummed, observing his flushed face, though he was really just burning up from his fever. "A little bit. How long have you been here?" He asked, embarrassment evident in his complexion.

"A few minutes, I just came to check on you.." and stayed to admire the sight.

The man let out a sheepish laugh. "I see. I didn't do anything strange that I don't recall, right?" He questioned, making it clear that he was nervous about what he'd done while in a more fevered state.

"No! I wasn't paying attention, haha!" You'd blatantly lie. Kazuha only breathed a sigh of relief. His voice had been slightly congested the whole time he'd spoken, along with his raspy breathing. Without thinking, you leaned closer, placing the back of your hand on his forehead. Kazuha was slightly taken aback, but he only figured you were acting out of obligation.

He was a delicate soul, who wished deeply to be needed by those around him, and he was always hopeful that he could make meaningful impressions on people. As much as all the facts pointed away from it, he always denied your kindness, your warmth, your gentle embrace to be anything more than pity. He had always felt this way, simply because his attachment to you made him scared. In the same way that you feared the day that he wouldn't be with you, he feared that he would never be able to do as much for you as you did for him.

"I'm sure you have better things to do, y/n. You don't have to bother checking on me." He assured you, but the simple comment found a way to annoy you.

"No, I want to check on you, and make sure you're okay. I don't understand why you keep saying things like that." You spluttered, furrowing your eyebrows as salty tears welled in your eyes. Those eyes that Kazuha couldn't look into right now.

"I don't understand either. But it isn't fair to you. None of it is." He said quietly, sluggishly pulling himself off the bed.

"It isn't fair. It isn't fair at all. Everyday I wake up I'm thinking about you, what you say and what you do, wanting to make sure that everyday you're doing better. But when I do, something makes you upset and you tell me not to. What is it that you don't like Kazuha? What is it that makes you so bothered when I try to shoulder your burdens?"

Kazuha stood in silence, a looming sadness swirling in his eyes.

"It doesn't make me upset. I love knowing that you care, because you do shoulder my burdens, but that's the problem. You take so much off of my chest that it's piling onto yours and I'll never be able to take it back in the same way. I'll never be able to be who you need me to be." He sobbed, making your heart ache to see him like this for the first time in a long time.

You stood up, grabbing Kazuha and pulling him close. His arms were around your shoulders this time, as he rested his head atop of them and cried.

" I want you to know that you will always be the person I need, because I don't need you to be anything more than Kazuha."

His breathing hitched as he was left with quiet hiccups. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I love Kaedehara Kazuha. Not anyone else. I love Kazuha's blemishes, I love Kazuha's laugh, I love his smile, I love his eyes, I love his heart. I love everything you are."

Kazuha's hands fell to grab your waist as he buried his face into your neck. His tears had subsided, as he simply held onto you like a lost kitten. Usually he was the one with all the fancy words, and you were the one left without any. But this time, the only way he could truly express what he felt was by showing it, knowing that you could feel his heartbeat louder and his skin feel hotter.

Hesitantly you spoke one last time. "Do you feel the same way?"

He held you tighter.

"I love you so much that saying the word couldn't ever describe everything I feel when you're with me." The man would laugh softly. In the same gesture, he lifted his face to be just inches away from yours.

"Is it alright if I show you instead?"

Okay, back to being the one left without words.