Shikanoin Heizou x Reader

Chapter 06

You sighed as you finished folding the last of your laundry, setting it aside and glancing over at Heizou. He was sitting on the floor next to the window seat, one arm propped on his knee as he stared distractedly at a small green stone between his fingers. He'd been unusually quiet lately.

You quietly made your way over and sat across from him, admiring the way the sun set the stone aglow. A moment passed before you spoke up. "Tomorrow is my last day here. How should we spend it?"

Heizou pocketed the pebble, not meeting your eyes even once. "Not sure. I'll be on a boat home."

Your heart dropped. All you could do was stare at him. "Oh."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before standing up. He seemed to be searching for something to say, but ultimately came up empty.

Pushing down the lump forming in your throat, you also stood and grabbed his hands tightly, tilting your head to try to catch his gaze with yours. "Listen to me. I told you, this should only be temporary. I—"

"Yeah? Well what if it isn't?" he cut in harshly. "If you're so valuable to them, they won't just let you go. That's not how they work."

You hesitated, feeling a sharp twinge in your chest. "It's because I'm valuable that I have leverage. Will you trust me?"

Lips pursed and brow furrowed, he studied you for a moment. It was almost as if time slowed down as you felt his hands slip from yours, and he took a step back.

"To trust you on this would be to ignore my intuition, the sole thing I have always been able to rely on. If you leave, you won't be coming back." Initially, Heizou wanted to find some way to stay with you. However, you were adamant about not returning to Inazuma. You also couldn't stay in Fontaine, and there was no way he could run off with you to Snezhnaya. It frustrated him that everything seemed to be working against the two of you. His heart had a persistent ache lately, constantly aware of your impending departure.

You balled your fists, fighting off a wave of hurt that threatened to overwhelm you. "I see." You glanced out the window for a moment at the vacant streets. "I guess I'll just go to bed, then."

He didn't reply, so you brushed past him and made it to your room, softly closing the door behind you. You paused for a moment to take deep breaths before striding over to the bed and curling up under the covers. Clutching a pillow tightly to yourself, you used it to muffle the sounds of sobs that you could no longer hold back. It had been a very, very long time since you'd cried like this, but you didn't want him to hear it and pity you.

Meanwhile, Heizou sighed to himself and ran his hands down his face, dropping them to stare at his palms. Hell, what is happening to me? This case has been dragging on, and I feel like I've been turned on my head. But... everything felt right when I would spend time with her, back before I knew she was leaving. Ever since then, all I have is this fear of losing her. Because of that, I'm lashing out.

Heizou gazed toward the closed door to your bedroom, turning his feet that way and stopping right in front of it, fist raised to knock. He paused when he picked up the faint sounds of crying coming from the other side, causing a surge of guilt to wash over him. Before he knew it, he'd lowered his hand and turned his feet away, quickly making for the door to outside.

~*~

The bitter winds of Snezhnaya barely seemed to phase you this time around, obscuring the path with gusts of snow and whipping across your face. As you followed your Fatui escorts toward the Zapolyarny Palace, your mind was elsewhere and nowhere, all at once.