Feather Bound

Chapter 14

"Well, you know what? Fuck you too, Hawks," She spat at him, reaching down to grab her bag off the floor. Swiftly, she ripped the keychain from it before throwing it straight at him. He barely had time to react before it smacked him in the chest, his hands fumbling to catch it before she pushed past him.

The keychain hit the floor with a small thud, made more audible by the silence in the arcade as he suddenly felt people's eyes on him. He grimaced, a feather retrieving the keychain for him as he turned to the crowd, giving a wide smile. "No need to worry, everyone. Just a small disagreement between me and my friend, but she'll be fine."

The people around him let out small murmurs of understanding, slowly returning to their own activities as he took the keychain back from the feather. Guilt ripped through him as he stared at the small toy; he had crossed a huge line, and he knew it. What he had said was disgusting, but he had gotten so overwhelmed, so nervous that he'd freaked out before he was even sure he'd made the right choice.

Moreover, he hadn't missed the fear in her eyes as he'd approached her, hadn't missed the way she crumpled in on herself at his words. He knew he'd triggered something, brought back painful memories to the surface. Her tears had felt like acid, each one hurting him worse than the last. As he replayed the situation in his head, he knew he was in serious trouble once the Commission found out.

He absentmindedly shifted the keychain between his hands as his thoughts ran wild. The thought of facing a reprimand from the Commission scared him, but that wasn't what he was afraid of the most. She was going to resign, and as he stood there, he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted anymore. Had he made the wrong choice...?

He clenched his jaw, pocketing the toy before rushing from the arcade. He was determined to catch her before the Commission car picked her up. Perhaps he could apologize and salvage the situation. He raced through the arcade, feeling a newfound resolve. The answer had become clearer than ever before – he wanted her, he wanted that small moment. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be selfish.

"Y/N!" he called out as he burst through the front doors, stepping onto the sidewalk and blinking against the sun. His eyes adjusted, but he couldn't see her. Had she decided to walk home? He sighed, a sense of disappointment washing over him. Maybe this was for the best, he thought, doubt creeping back in. She deserved better than what he could offer.

With one last glance around, he spread his wings and took off toward his apartment. He desperately needed to destress and try to relax, and he anticipated his phone would start ringing any minute now.

His phone had stayed completely silent all night, driving him to the brink of madness. He woke up multiple times throughout the night to check for a call, but there was nothing. Despite everything that had happened, he couldn't help but wonder if she was genuinely giving him another chance. Was she truly willing to stay in the program after all the turmoil they'd been through? There had to be more to her story than she had revealed. Nobody should be so desperate for love that they'd endure the kind of absolute bullshit he'd subjected her to.

These thoughts sent his mind into overdrive, causing him to toss and turn as he replayed their entire relationship in his mind. He had been a major dick, making choices for her that he now deeply regretted. If he hadn't pushed her away so hard, maybe he would have a better understanding of what drove her to this point. He wished he could take it all back, change everything. Suddenly, his alarm went off, jolting him back to reality. He let out a weary groan, reaching over to silence it, rubbing his eyes. He had hardly slept at all.

He dragged himself out of bed with a groan, sending a few feathers into the kitchen to get his coffee pot started before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Pressing his forehead against the cool tiles of the shower wall, he let the warm water soothe the aches in his body. He already knew it was going to be a long day.