𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 || Chuuya x reader ✔️

Chapter 16: The awaited decision

Standing in the chilly breeze, the city lights flickered faintly from the Port Mafia's roof at midnight.

The same night as the mission.

You heard the roof door open, followed by an exhale you recognized right away.

The door closed with a thud. You didn't have to look behind you to know who it was.

"You want to get sick by wearing a sleeveless shirt in this weather?" Although he was complaining, there was a hint of concern in his voice. He draped a hoodie over your shoulders. You looked at him and nodded; an unspoken thank you went between you both.

"I changed my clothes after I was done being treated," you said as you slid your arms into the hoodie. "I needed fresh air, and I couldn't bother any less to look for my hoodie," you continued. When your head popped out of the opening of the hoodie, you pulled out your hair and asked, "Where did you find it anyway?" "In the practice room," he answered.

Practicing with Akutagawa. It all felt feverish; it never happened, yet it lasted for a long time.

The sounds of the distant city felt reassuring. You both said nothing, clearly thinking about the night you witnessed. Unknowingly, the mission had left an impression on you both, and you couldn't help but marvel at the experience.

The number of girls whose lives ended the way yours was about to, but worse, many of them could have had a future, but it ended there.

"It's over, I'm pretty sure we fulfilled those poor souls' final wishes" Chuuya broke the silence, along with your never ending trail of thoughts. "They will all get proper funerals now," Chuuya said in a consoling tone.

"I guess it's obvious on my face, huh?" You softly spoke as you looked his way. He was gazing down at the city lights.

There was a gentle breeze blowing on both of you. His ginger locks of hair moved ever so slightly. His eyes followed one car after another, but he seemed lost in his own thoughts. You didn't know what he was thinking. He abruptly broke the silence, but his gaze remained fixed on the city's twinkling lights.

"It's like you died and lived again; isn't that what you're feeling?" His voice was soft and gentle, and it seemed to carry with it a sense of understanding.

It was exactly the kind of heaviness you were feeling. You were grieving not only for these girls but also for yourself.

"How did you know that?" You asked.

A long pause, then he looked at you. He smiled. "Because I went through the same thing in the past," he replied. The silence lingered, and Chuuya understood the request in your eyes. You wanted to hear the story.

"On my first mission in the Port Mafia, I was sent to deal with a similar case," he began. "I was ordered to find the serial killer behind the murders of the orphans," he continued, His focus was intense, and his posture was stiff as he relayed the events that had taken place. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"They didn't deserve it; I was just like them, but their lives unexpectedly stopped before mine,"

As Chuuya spoke of his past, you felt the weight of his memories hang heavy in the air. He took a hesitant breath to collect himself, and he looked at you. "If I was there, if I was as weak and I had no skill, I could've been.. dead," He stopped talking, though the look in his eyes told you his thoughts had not.

He looked down at the railing, his voice as hollow as his gaze, and murmured, "But I wasn't there,"

He looked back at the city again.