EVAK/HENJEI ONE SHOTS

[29] t h e b i r d

EVEN POV
________

i chuckled as i read the text from my boyfriend, isak who was freaking out over being in the library alone late at night. even thought he was a college student, 19 years old, he still got frightened over the tiniest of things and it was adorable. he always got annoyed when i teased him him being a scaredy cat.

"can you please come here? i'm scared" - isak

"i thought you left because i was distracting you from studying." i replied.

"i did but now i'm scared. pls even" - isak

"why don't you just come back to room?"

"i don't want to walk all the way by myself" - isak

i snickered, giving into his cuteness and shutting off my phone as i left my room, beginning to make my way to the library down the halls.

it wasn't long before i reached the small room, wondering why isak was so scared to walk the short distance. i entered, seeing the boy sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees in the back corner, a frightened look on his face.

before i could even say anything, isak leaped up and raced towards me- practically jumped on me as his arms flung around my neck.

"even! thank goodness, i thought i was going to die!" he said, me feeling how tense and shaky he was. i was genuinely beginning to become concerned.

"why? what happened?" i asked sternly, furrowing my eyebrows.

he let go of me, pointing his finger towards a darkened area of the library where the bookshelves hid. "i was just sitting here studying when i heard some weird, tiny footstep noises over there."

for a moment, i thought he was just messing with me. that was, until he glanced at isak to see the plain fear clear in his eyes and i just sighed softly. "i'm sure it's nothing. watch, i'll go look."

"no, even! come on, let's just go back to the room." he pleaded desperately, seeming to be filled with nerves right now.

"don't worry, nothings gonna happen to you while i'm here." i assured, softening my expression to convince him, but he shook his head stubbornly.

"b-but what if something happens to you?"

"i'll be okay." i finished, nodding with a small smile and hesitantly made my way over to the darkened area of the room behind the bookcases, using only the dim flash from my phone as a light source.

i jumped slightly when i felt a pair of hands on my lower back, sighing in relief when i realized it was just a timid isak who didn't want to be left alone.

he placed his hands gently on my waist, following me from behind as i tiptoed inside the hidden area, purposely doing it slowly and dramatically just to freak him out more.

i didn't actually believe there was something in here, but when something scurried across the floor, barely visible with the low flash, i screeched like a little girl and practically dropped my phone. isak helped as well, jumped onto my back which caused us both to tumble to the ground.

"isak!" i groaned in pain, luckily breaking the fall with my hands.

"what the frick was that?!" he said in a high pitched tone, standing up before helping me up as well. "oh my God, even, can we please leave- i'm begging you. i don't want to be in here anymore."

i shook my head aggressively, "not til i find out where that little rascal is."

isak gently tugged on my arm,"even-"

we both went dead silent at the sound of a crying like noise. "what. is. that." i said in intervals, it barely audible as i tried to not scare away whatever was making that terrible noise.

my camera flash moved over, stopping on a small, dark figure that was trying to find an escape but unable to. i realized that it was a bird and the crying noise was because it's wing was damaged. i gasped softly, crouching down and getting a closer look at the injured creature. i reached out to stroke its feather, only causing it to jolt backwards and cry louder.

isak knelt down beside me, grabbing the phone and pointing the light at the bird as i tried to carefully pick it up. it resisted at first, but eventually eased into it and i was able to carry it back out of the library.

we made our way out of the room and i was eager to get this little birdy to the vet. isak stayed close by my side, muttering a quick, "how did a freaking bird get in there?"

not knowing myself, i didn't even respond to his comment. instead, we frantically made our way to our car and hopped in. i set the bird down in isak's lap, immediately driving off to the nearest animal clinic for help.

"his wing is barely hanging on," isak said nervously, glancing over at me.

i pulled up to the small building that i had been to once before for picking up my aunts dog. we made our way inside, my boyfriend protectively cradling the small bird in his arms as we hurried inside.

a few moments passed before the vet had taken in the creature and was fixing up his wing. we stood inside and watched the surgery closely and intensely, wincing slightly as we watched the sharp needle go into his wing like we could feel his pain.

i glanced at isak, smiling meekly at him and throwing an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into my side. i knew he wasn't a huge fan of public displays of affection, but i didn't care right now. i pressed my lips to his forehead, "you were so brave today." i teased, though my tone was pretty convincing.

"shut up." he rolled his eyes, nudging me away with his elbow. "you screamed like a girl."

"so did you-"

"alright, he's all good to go! he'll need about a week or so to fully heal, though." the nurse said smugly, cutting me and isak's conversation short.

i beamed, hearing the bird let out small chirps which sounded much more pleasant than the ones from before. "he looks so much better!"

"actually, it's a she." the nurse corrected with a small laugh, causing my mouth to gape.

"oops." i said quietly, seeing isak shaking his head in amusement and embarrassment.

we ended up taking it home, taking good care of it for the next week of recovery until she was strong enough to be let out back into the wild.

isak and i stepped outside, holding her in our hands and tossing her up gently as her boost. she flew away, flapping her wings causing me and my boyfriend to smile.