Breathe (Haise Sasaki X Reader)

Chapter 19

I ran my fingers through his dark hair as he rested. It was unusual to see it so messy, since he's always had it under control whenever I had seen him. I played with the little curls, smiling a bit as I heard his steady breathing. I pressed a kiss to the top of his head, earning a small hum as he opened his eyes. He let out a sigh as we listened to the loud rustling of the leaves. The cool breeze made the grass around us sway, only adding to the calming atmosphere. I pushed his hair to the side, planting a kiss on his forehead. I saw a smile grace his features as he rested his head on my lap.

We had just finished eating our lunch, so we spent the rest of the time relaxing on our picnic blanket. It was a nice day, the sun wasn't too hot and there was the occasional breeze, perfect to go out. I was surprised that there weren't many people around, almost none at our spot.

Ken sat up, holding my chin and kissing the corner of my lips before he pulled me down with him. He fixed the skirt of my dress before placing his hand on my waist, his right arm being used to rest my head on. He gave me another sleepy smile, his teeth showing a bit before he leaned in and kissed my nose.

We planned to head to Mt. Fuji later that week, since we were both busy with work. I liked the idea of going there, seeing as I really enjoyed the outdoors. I didn't go out much, but I was the type to take in the view and simply admire nature when I had the chance. So a date like this made me pretty happy.

"Today's great." He twirled my strands of hair in his hand, not bothering to move the hand on my waist. "I get to see you dressed up again, and you agreed to my offer." Lifting up his left hand, he brushed my cheek with the back of it. "You look pretty everyday, but seeing you like this..." A chortle escaped his lips. "If I were told I was going to die soon, I'd want to spend my last hours with you. It sounds a bit bizarre but it's true, if I had that chance I don't think there'd be much I would regret as I reflect on my life if it was filled with images of you and moments like this." His eyes seemed sad as he spoke, and I noticed how he frowned shortly after. He said nothing much after that, only asking me about work before he began to fall asleep again.

I studied his face as he continued sleeping, noticing the bags around his eyes have gotten worse. He seemed beyond exhausted recently, sometimes he would even fall asleep while visiting me at work.

He let out a yawn, rubbing his eye a bit. "Sorry about that, how are you feeling today? Anything on your mind?"

I shook my head.

"Not really, everything's been fine lately." He hummed in response.

"Is everything fine between you and Kirishima-Kun? I saw he's back at the café."

I held my breath for a moment, biting the inside of my cheek. The same scene replayed in my head as I glanced at the tree behind us; the feeling of him still lingered. I could still feel his warmth when he held me, the butterflies in my stomach returning as I felt my face heat up again. "You seem distant from him, has anything happened?"

I shook my head again.

"No, I just scolded him after he was released a few days ago. I guess he's still pretty upset."

Ken stared at me for a moment, a sad look in his eyes. I felt as though he knew something I didn't and that thing hurt him. He forced a smile, but it was more than obvious that he was hurting inside.

"I think we should head back before it gets too late." I looked away and nodded.

We folded up the blanket and put it back into the basket, walking in silence to his car. The ride was the same, neither of us spoke. I couldn't due to the guilt and him... I wasn't sure. I didn't know what was bothering him back then, it was something that took me a long time to come to understand.