The Typhoon ~Vash x OC AU~

Chapter 11: Hindsight

Leilani

~4 Days Later~

The scar on my abdomen has always been an angry, puffy reminder of my past. A past shrouded by rage and resentment, sprinkled with unanswered questions and snippets of mystery.

For most of my life, it has simply been a single part of me. Always there and always present, reminding me of the flames that had bit me all those years ago. Reminding me of what I had lost.

It has remained unchanged and unyielding over these years, but now that my body has changed – now that I have experienced pregnancy and birth – it has changed ever so slightly, morphing.

It still stretches, still angry and upset. Still snarling with memories, but there is a softness to it now. One that hadn't been there before. And it is a softness that I can't help but run my fingers over, feeling its melting warmth under my fingertips, my stretch marks zigging and zagging alongside it.

It is strange to see something that has been so solidified in my life look so different, yet the same all at once, and know exactly what has caused that change.

Greywynn sleeps, her long lashes swept along her cheeks as her rosy lips bud. Tiny grunts hum from her, and I can't help but smile. Sure, it had been a pregnancy filled with the unknown and a painful delivery, but it was all worth it. Every stretch mark. Every mood swing. Every change was worth it, and I can admit that I see that now.

I didn't back then.

During the pregnancy, I was too hyper-focused on trying to ignore it because – at the time – it wasn't what I wanted. Seeing how much my body was changing was enough to make me sick, but now...

I like the softness of my body. I like the way it moves under my fingers. The marks are like jagged lightning, reminding me of the storm my daughter could have been conceived during. Reminding me of the strength it took to survive what we had.

"Are you hungry? Luida wants to speak to you, but I figured I'd ask –"

Vash's voice cuts through the quietness as the door to our room slides open and he enters. Instantly, he sees me and stops in his tracks, his mouth clamping shut as a red tint dusts over his cheeks. I stand, facing the mirror, the fabric of my shirt rolled up into my clutch as I remain in the same stance of observing my scar.

He wasn't expecting to find me this way, and I wasn't expecting him to.

"S-sorry," he stammers quickly. He turns, averting his eyes as his face burns red. "I-I didn't mean to intrude. I should've knocked first. My bad. I-I –"

"Have seen it all before," I interrupt, dropping my shirt and turning to him. "Relax. You're acting as if you don't know how we made that little girl over there."

I cross my arms over my chest, watching as he glimpses over at the bassinet where Greywynn is fast asleep. The redness on his cheeks begins to dissipate as a warm smile bends his lips. I can see the way pride swells in him.

Then his gaze falls on me. It is faint, but I see the small shift of darkness that fills his eyes, falling to his smirk. It sends shivers down my spine and causes my heart to leap.

Slowly, he makes his way to where I am, his soles scuffing the smooth linoleum. His eyes remain trained on me, never faltering or leaving, and I feel as though I need to squirm.

"You're right," he says. His tone is hot and breathy as his fingertips glide down my arms. My breath catches. "I have seen it all before. Many times before. And maybe I still get flustered. Can you blame me?" His hand finds the curve of my waist, pulling me closer to him. His body heat pulsates through his clothes, pummeling me. "Have you not seen yourself? You are more than enough to make any man crumble."