Y/n, better known as "Scout" is someone who just wanted a peaceful life. Someone who ran away from all the noise and the chaos and fled to someplace much sweeter. But they never expected to find a boy in the middle of a snowstorm, injured, and unabl...
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"SCOUT,"
The call of my name was gentle, and the voice was calming. I opened my eyes, my gaze settling on the boy standing beneath the tree. I hadn't heard him approach, and Gus hadn't barked at him, bringing my tense shoulders to their regular, slack position.
"You were asleep, weren't you?" Megumi smirked slightly.
"No," I muttered. "I'm not always sleepin', you know."
He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I know. Come on, get out of the tree."
I took my mask from my feet and slid off the branch, landing in front of the ravenette. Gus nudged his nose into my palm, making me rub my hand over his head. Megumi began to untie the reins that held the horse to the tree, bringing her into the opening.
"Jett ran off," He said.
I looked over at him. "What?"
It was then that I noticed the bruising along Megumi's face. Swirls of purple and blue dotted along his jawline and his cheekbone on the left side of his face. His lip had been busted open, and there was dry blood under his nose and over his top lip.
I dropped my mask onto the ground and rushed toward him. I hovered my hands beside his face, my gaze flicking across the injuries. He brought his eyes to mine, his gaze calm and steady.
"I'm fine, Scout," He said softly.
"What the hell did he do to you?" My eyebrows furrowed together.
Megumi's gaze drifted away from me. "We got into a fight."
"No shit, I can see that," I breathed, my thumb gently brushing over his jaw, making him wince and reel away from me. "But, why?"
His hand rested over my wrist. "He tried chasing after you. He was cussing you out, cursing you, mutterin' about he was going to beat you for this. Taro-san tried to calm him down and talk him out of it, but he just knocked him to the floor. It spiraled from there."
"Why..." I searched for my words as I flicked my eyes over him. "Why do you keep trying to protect me? Why do you keep standing up for me? You and I...we're just strangers."
"Because unlike him, I care about you," He whispered, making my eyes widen. "I know you're scared. And I know why you escaped in the first place. Jett doesn't give a shit about that, and you know it. He's only making this worse for you. I don't want you to be afraid of whether he's going to kill you before your clan gets to you or not. I don't want you to be afraid, period. If that means I have to stay here, then I will."
"N-No," I shook my head. "No, Megumi, you have to go—"
"They already know exactly where I am," He said, making my breath hitch. "They all know where I am. He came searching after me when I didn't come back. He could have taken me back at any point. I could have already gone home, Scout. But I didn't. And I won't."
