Whatever It takes || V!BNHAxMale!Reader

02 || Reassurance

      Entering the garden, [N/n] stood at the edge of the covered pavilion. Even from here he could tell the garden was huge--and to him especially. An elated grin shone on Keiko's features as he led young [N/n] around the garden. He had even gone into detail of the plants and the stone lanterns, along with many other things of the garden. [N/n] had tried to listen, but he was too engrossed with looking around. His eyes set on a part of the garden filled with copious amounts of bamboo. It reminded him of the bamboo forest he had been left in not too long ago. Both ears and tails began to droop from gloomy thoughts as his pace slowed until he came to a complete stop. Keiko had continued speaking but soon halted once he noticed his company paused.

      "Mm? [N/n]-chan? Is something wrong?" He asked. Exercising care as he approached the younger and knelt before him, examining him. [N/n] emitted a downhearted aura, though Keiko didn't know why. That is until he remembered what Emi had told him back at her home.

      "Hey, [N/n]-chan," Gaining his attention, a glassy [e/c] gaze made contact with his own pale blue hues. Keiko's lips pulled into a gentle, reassuring smile.

      "You know you can always count on having Emi-chan and me by your side. So you don't have to worry." Though the words were simple, [N/n]'s eyes widened to the statement. This man didn't even know him much yet he knew what upset him and comforted him. It wasn't long until tears spilled over [N/n]'s eyes and trickled down his face. Keiko began to panic until [N/n] threw his arms around his neck. His reassuring words struck a chord within [N/n], just as it did with Emi. He felt as though he could trust the two completely. Releasing a gentle breath of relief, Keiko returned the gesture with benevolence.

      The older of the two continued to console the younger with kind words and gentle hugs. And it was only a short time before [N/n]'s tears and quiet hiccups finally came to an end. The two managed to finish viewing the garden within the hour as Keiko checked in with [N/n] every so often, ensuring he was alright. The two were walking across one of the bridges at the moment when Keiko spoke.

      "Oh, look [N/n]-chan! The koi want to say 'hello'!" Looking through the rails, sure enough, there was a large group of koi swimming about underneath where they stood. [N/n] leaned over the rails and stared in awe at the pretty colors. Black, white, orange, gold, red, silver, blue, there were so many! A light grin tugged at [N/n]'s lips as the fish followed his shadow, he sounded a light laugh. And though it was barely audible, Keiko wore a warm smile at this.

      "Would you like to feed them?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. An ecstatic grin and quick nod was his answer, Keiko gave a cheerful laugh.

      "Come on then, follow me!" Crossing the bridge, the two came to a small shed. Hidden away behind one of the few Japanese maples that dotted the landscape. Telling [N/n] to wait a moment, Keiko disappeared from view as he entered the small shack. There was a moment of rustling from the dark space before he returned with a large orange bottle. Lips pulled into a large grin, he handed the container to [N/n]. He explained to [N/n] about and how to feed the koi as they walked back to the bridge. [N/n] looked to the bottle with curious eyes, noticing the pellets inside before nodding to Keiko in understanding. By the time they reached the water's edge once more, the fish swarmed in excitement. Returning to the railing, [N/n] did as instructed. Twisting the top cap off, he held the bottle in a firm grip and shook it upside down. And as soon as the feed hit the water, the fish began their feeding frenzy. It amused the two males as they watched the fish swim about. As they ate, Keiko talked with the young wolf-boy about the fish, explaining why some were different.

      "You see the koi with the silver and black markings...?" He asked the younger, he continued after receiving a nod in reply. "That one's called a bekko. Pretty, right?" Another nod was his answer as [N/n] looked to the fish in awe. They were so pretty and shiny, he was lost in a daze looking at their glimmering scales. Keiko's lips pulled into another grin.