Feather Bound

Chapter 38

He groaned, pulling her against him tighter before stretching his entire body out. The warmth enveloped him, and contentment washed over him—a stark contrast to what he had felt less than twenty-four hours ago. It had been far too long since he had experienced such restful sleep. If he were honest, he desired nothing more than to keep his eyes shut and return to the peaceful embrace of slumber. However, reality nudged him; he needed to get back to work, especially since he had decided to come home instead of reporting to the Commission, as he normally would after a mission like that.

Oh, fuck.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, nearly stopping his heart. He shot upright, scrambling out of bed so fast he nearly tripped over. Fear clamped down on him so fiercely that he felt nauseous, though there wasn't much in his stomach to even throw up. He couldn't recall the last time he had eaten since leaving the site of the landslide. He was going to be in a shit load of trouble for deviating from the standard protocol, and he should have known better than to come home instead of reporting directly to them. What the hell had he been thinking?

"Keigs?" she called after him, but he ignored her, stumbling his way out of the bedroom. His legs felt shaky as he crawled along the wall toward the bathroom, likely the result of standing up too quickly. But he needed to grab his phone from his pants pocket, needed to call Mamoru and apologize. He needed to beg for forgiveness because there was no way he wasn't absolutely fuming. He was honestly surprised that he hadn't shown up here looking for him already.

What time was it anyway? How long had he been asleep? The light in the hallway suddenly flipped on, blinding him for just a second as his eyes struggled to adjust to the change in brightness. He was about to move forward again when, suddenly, her hand wrapped around his wrist, tugging him back toward her.

"Keigo, come on. Relax. Everything is okay," she said softly, and he turned his head to look at her, furrowing his brows.

"No, I can't. I need to call work. I... I messed up. I shouldn't have fucking come here." He said, yanking his arm roughly from her grasp and opening the bathroom door. She followed him inside the bathroom, frowning as he looked around. It was clean, but it shouldn't be. He'd dragged in mud everywhere, and the tub had been disgusting when he was done with it. What fucking time was it?

"Where are my clothes? My hero outfit?" He asked, turning to face her, his panic obvious in his expression.

"In the washing machine. Though I'm not really sure your shirt is—"

"My phone!" He cried out, turning to face her with wide, desperate eyes. "Please, I need my phone." His eyes burned, a combination of the bright lights and the tears he was struggling to keep at bay. She blinked at him in surprise, stepping back slightly as she frowned.

"Keigo, that's enough," she said firmly, crossing her arms before taking a deep breath. "You need to calm down. Your phone is in the bedroom on the charger, but nobody at the Commission is looking for you. You need to relax, please. It's one in the morning, and you stomping around like that is going to wake up your neighbors!"

"Shit," he hissed, his mind racing. Was it seriously one in the morning? He had gotten back yesterday around eight; he remembered seeing the time in the taxi before he stepped out. Had he really been asleep for that long? Forget just Mamoru; it was a wonder they didn't have search parties out looking for him at this point. "Of course they're looking for me. I didn't report to work for my debriefing. I need to call them. I need—"

"To go sit down so I can make you something to eat," she said with a sigh, leaning against the doorframe as he blinked at her in confusion. "I talked with the Commission this morning. Me and Mamoru had a lovely little chat, and it turns out you've got the next two weeks off. Now go sit in the living room, and I'll make you a sandwich or something. I'm sure you're starving." She turned, walking from the bathroom without another word, leaving him staring in confusion. Had she just said that he has the next two weeks off? Since when did the Commission give him vacations?