Plump

dive deeper

Warning: Slight triggers might be in this chapter.

My thumbs crossed the keyboard on the tablet, and my words came much quicker than if I had to speak them. It was much easier this way, but it was still hard. I wasn't sure if I had ever really talked to anyone about these things.

"You told me a bit about your past with your eyes. So it is only fair. My mother died shortly after I was born in a factory accident. My father was the one who caused the accident; he ignored a machine my mother was working at. Because he was having an affair with a different coworker at the time. The machine ended up exploding, and she died along with a few others." I paused, looking up at him. He had laid back in the grass, waiting patiently.

"I was a baby at the time, so I don't remember my mother. But my dad was around for a few years, but he hated me. I apparently look much like my mother. He wasn't very kind to me, and often I was fending for myself. He ended up killing himself when I was 4 years old; he was guilty. So I was by myself for a long time. I went into the system, and I was always a bit weird. Even on my planet's standards." I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to get emotional. I raised my hand to let him know it was okay, as he looked at me worried. I tried to keep the images at bay.

"When I was 16, I got with a guy who was a few years older than me. I thought I loved him. I thought he loved me. I was a fool. He was abusive, and I was too uncomfortable to have sex yet, but he forced it on me. I finally ended up leaving him because he pushed me down the stairs. I was so scared that day... It really woke me up to what a terrible person he was. I ended up having to switch districts because he kept stalking me. It was just two years ago that I finally got away from him. I managed to make a few friends in the last two years and was working a decent job before the portal thing happened." I let a long breath out, trying to keep the actual memories at bay as I typed them out. I reread and fixed a few spelling mistakes. I hesitated before laying the tablet on Kakashi's stomach.

I stayed sitting between his legs, but I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. I closed my eyes, fighting the mental war. I heard Kakashi sharply intake at some points. I was guessing he was finished when his arms went around me.

"I am so sorry, Millie. I know I can't change the past, and I still have my own wounds that aren't healed. But know, I am here. I don't want to hurt you." He said it into my hair, still trying to avoid my bump. He pulled back slightly and gently grabbed my face. "I am not perfect, but..." He suddenly looked a bit angry. "I would never hurt you like that. If I can help it, I will protect you. How could anyone ever hurt someone like you?" He said it in disbelief and whipped a few tears away from my cheek. He shook his head. "I am glad I will never see this boy who hurt you like that." He mumbled it.

I blinked up at him, my eyes burning with emotion. "Why?" I asked, unsure.

He looked down at me, our eyes meeting, his anger softening. "Because I might just beat him to death." He said it softly as he touched my face. He looked my face over, touching the nearly-gone bruise on my cheek.

He shook his head and said, "I already settled one of those scores." He said it sourly.

I was confused. What did he mean by that? I looked up at him, a bit shocked. He would beat them up. Was this a red or a green flag? He really wanted to protect me like that? He really cared that much?

I must have still looked confused because he sighed and then smiled down at me. He rested a hand on my head and asked, "Did what I said scare you? I don't mean to sound unhinged." He mumbled it, thinking over his words.

I couldn't help but laugh a little and look at him, admiring him. I tapped at the tablet and said, "I think I understand... I am just not used to someone caring so much."