Midnight Embers (Asakura Hao X Reader)

Chapter 8

You woke up when the warm sun hit your face through the small treehouse window, making you squint. You didn't want to get out of bed, so you tried to block the sun's light with the cozy blanket, wrapping it tightly around you like a cocoon.

Just as you were about to fall asleep again, you heard soft giggles. You felt annoyed.

Can't these kids be quiet in the morning? Don't their parents tell them to stop?

You were about to shout at them like you always do when you suddenly realized you weren't in your hometown. You stood up quickly, but lost your balance and fell onto your butt. What a great way to start the day!

You stood up again, trying to remember what happened last night. You had almost slept at dawn, daydreaming and thinking about your conversation with Hao.

Your heart beats in an unusual way with the thought of Hao. You didn't know if it was just your imagination, but you felt like Hao is just so close to you that you can even smell him. You felt your cheeks burning red as you remembered his cloak. You were still wearing it!

Hao's cloak that kept me warm all night.

As you sat back down on the bed, it felt like your hand had a mind of its own and held the cloak tight, and you just realized smelling it.

Opacho appeared at the door with a big smile on his face. "Nee-san! You're awake! Good morning!" he said. Your eyes widened in panic as you threw the cloak away.

You felt your cheeks burning red! That was so embarrassing! But thank goodness you're facing away from the door, or what if he saw what I did?

"Hao-sama! Nee-san's awake!" Opacho added, and you immediately turned around to greet him.

"G-Good morning, Opacho," you stuttered, feeling like a criminal who had just gotten caught stealing.

Instead of greeting you back, Opacho tilted his head, and it's like he's examining you. "Are you sick, Nee-san? You're red!" he asked, worry visible in his face that just made you turn redder.

"I-I am not, Opacho!" you said, covering your face.

Just then, you heard heavy footsteps and your heart skipped a beat as you realized whose footsteps belonged to.

Hao's footsteps echoed outside the door, followed by the sound of him clearing his throat before stopping at the entrance of the room. Your heart skipped a beat as he said, "Good morning, y/n!" in his warm and gentle voice.

Hao's bright smile lit up the room, making everything feel brighter and more vibrant.

You tried to act normal despite your racing heart. Hao's smile made everything feel brighter. "G-good morning," you greeted back.

Damn it, heart! It's still so early in the morning to fantasize and flirt! Calm down. You scolded yourself.

But when was the last time someone greeted me again like this? Being greeted with kind smiles every morning was one of my dreams, not being woken up by shouting, cursing, and fighting.

You always hated mornings because of that - because you thought that it was just another day for another suffering and pain.

But seeing Hao smile felt like you could already go through all your day already.

"Are you hungry? Opacho and I made breakfast for us," he said still smiling, and you just noticed he was holding a plate of pancakes.

Cute.

"Opacho, hungry too!" Opacho chimed in.

You nodded slowly as you walked towards them.

Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.