DARLING (yandere boys x reader)

XVI- the other woman

This was the first time in two weeks that (Y/n) was going grocery shopping on her own, or without Tobias insisting on him coming with her that is. Whether it was because he had realized that he couldn't keep on missing work hours to be by her side, or because he felt slightly more reassured in her abilities to defend herself thanks to his knife and self defense lessons, (Y/n) had no idea.

Either way, she was glad for this opportunity to prove herself to him. She was convinced that as soon as Tobias saw that she was able to handle herself just fine, he'd be much less overprotective and give her much more room to explore by herself. Which was a good thing, as she couldn't possibly rely on him forever.

Now that Tobias had given her the tools to defend herself, it was time for her to show him that she wasn't as defenseless and weak as he thought she was. Not only this, but it was also time for her to prove to herself that just because she was Uninfected didn't mean she had to live in constant fear, that she wasn't just a prey.

Though she doubted Tobias would ever seize to see her this way. And from his perspective, she understood how this made sense. Both of them had been taught from their youngest age that Uninfected were nothing but helpless preys for Infected to pry on. But just because that is how society saw her didn't mean (Y/n) would accept this condition as hers.

She was determined not to fit this narrative. Much like Marcus, who in spite of being an Uninfected had blended in perfectly and survived up to this point.

(Y/n)'s determination did little to tame Tobias's apparent concern though.

He stood beside her, heart tight in his chest as he observed her putting on her shoes and taking the shopping trolley in her hands.

"Okay, anything we need that's not on the shopping list?" She asked with a smile.

"No, everything's on there." Tobias answered with a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. The idea of (Y/n) venturing in the city alone really didn't sit right with him. Of course she had something to defend herself with now, and he had taught her some basic self defense tricks. But still, part of him couldn't help but ponder over all the terrible things that could happen to her in his absence.

Relax. She's a grown woman who knows how to handle herself. The rational part of him tried to reassure him. She'll be fine, she's not defenseless anymore.

Yeah, (Y/n) didn't need him to protect her anymore. Plus, he had work to do and couldn't keep on skipping just to make sure nothing happened to her. He had to be pragmatic about this.

So in spite of the wild scream of his heart for him to accompany her and the anxiety brewing inside of him at the idea of something happening to her, Tobias decided to give (Y/n) the benefit of the doubt.

"Just be careful, alright?" He said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, to which (Y/n) answered with a reassuring grin.

"I will. Don't worry about me." She said, "You should be careful with Marcus though, I saw him trying to do the dishes yesterday morning. Again."

Tobias chuckled at that. This indeed sounded like Marcus, always one to push himself in spite of everyone around him telling him not to. Even when the instructions came from his own doctor.

"Yeah, I will." Tobias said, "He's way too stubborn for his own good."

"Good, I'll be on my way then! I should be back in an hour or so. Two at most. So don't worry if I'm not back before then."

This was something they had both agreed on, well, more like something Tobias had insisted on. But him having a vague idea of when (Y/n) would be home was reassuring in a way and also a way for him to know when it was necessary for him to intervene. If (Y/n) wasn't back in two hours, he'd start worrying and go look for her.