Feather Bound

Chapter 27

He inhaled sharply, observing as she buried her head in her hands, her sobs wracking her body. Guilt tore through him as he scrambled to figure out what to do or say to ease the situation. Was she that upset that he didn't want kids? God, what had he been thinking, allowing this to happen? How utterly selfish of him to assume she'd be okay with him not wanting them, that she would just go along with his plan without any issue. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, when she whispered something that nearly broke his heart.

"How am I supposed to get her back without that money? I have just enough for a first meeting with a lawyer, but everything after that..." she trailed off, another round of tears dripping down her cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to reach over and comfort her.

"I'm the number two hero. If Haruki tells a lawyer I need help with something, I bet they'd be willing to do me a favor, some pro bono work. If not, I'm sure Haruki or my accountant can find a way to move money around the agency without raising suspicions. You're not in this alone anymore," he said gently, watching as she desperately wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sucking in deep breaths to calm herself.

"So I don't have to have another baby?" She asked so softly he was sure he would've missed it without the help of his feathers. "I don't have to do it again?"

"Of course not," he whispered gently, and she let out another small sob.

"Oh thank god," she whispered, sucking in a deep breath before blinking up at him, her eyes red from her tears. "I thought this was the only way. It was the only reason I signed up. I just was so desperate to get her back, I'm so sorry I put you through all this. I'm so sorry."

His stomach twisted at her words, frowning at her apology. Did this mean she didn't actually like him? Had she been pretending just to get her daughter back? It seemed like she cared; she'd certainly kissed him back like she'd been interested. Was dating always this complicated? And what was the best way to even ask at this point, and did he honestly even want to know the answer?

"It's not too late to quit if you don't want to be with me," he said with a frown, his chest aching in a way he wasn't sure he'd quite experienced before. Just the thought of her walking back out through that door was enough to bring him to his knees. "I'll still help you get your daughter back, but if you don't–"

"Keigo," she said softly, interrupting him, and his heart stopped in his chest. He couldn't remember the last time someone else had said his real name, and dear God, it sounded so good falling from her lips like that. He wanted to hear her say it again; he'd do just about anything.

"Yes," he replied, his voice strained as he looked at her, fidgeting with his hands nervously.

"I...don't want to quit. I've really enjoyed getting to know you on these last few dates. I want to keep doing so, but I guess I'm just a little confused. If they want us to have kids, what's your plan here? They told me once we got to this point, they'd be having me come in every month for bloodwork and testing."

"Condoms," he squeaked out, embarrassment flooding through him. He clenched his jaw, drawing in a breath to try and settle his nerves. He was fucking twenty-two years old; sex shouldn't be an embarrassing subject to talk about, yet here he was squirming like a fourteen-year-old in sex ed. class. "The hope is that, should our relationship ever reach that point – and there is no rush or pressure – we prevent it long enough that the Commission just...gives up."

"And you really think that'll work?" She asked, tilting her head, and he shrugged in return.

"It's the best plan I've got. The Commission will get bored of me eventually. I'll get older, slower, newer heroes will start out ranking me. Eventually, with no successor, they'll hopefully just...let me go. I'll retire, and we can move away from here. Until then, we just pretend we don't know why it's happening. They can't force it; infertility happens for all sorts of reasons."