Compass - Banana Fish x Reader

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: Without A Care

I finally felt like that paper kite butterfly.

The wind rushing through my loose (H/C) hair, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, it was an experience. Shorter's back was warm, and he hadn't let me down. Not once did I feel unsafe with him in control. We rode for a long time, on road and off, before coming to the end of a spiralling trail, right at the top of one of the lookout peaks.

Killing the motor, Shorter braced the bike with his legs, taking a deep breath of the clean, ocean air.
"Now, I don't know much about romancing, but this here feels like the right kinda spot." After I jumped off, he pushed out the kickstand with his heel and followed, all the way to the guard rail.

The view was far superior to that on the hill. We could see the entirety of the cape from where we stood, the ocean glistening like rhinestones in the high moonlight.
"It's incredible..." I murmured, stepping up onto the second rung of the railing. Immediately, Shorter was there behind me, one arm around my middle to keep me balanced.

"I had this idea for a while, but after my colossal fuckup earlier, I thought tonight would be best. I really am sorry. I mean it." Leaning back into his chest, I covered his arm with my hands, smiling softly out towards the vast beauty of the unknown.
"I know you are...I didn't mean to get so worked up. It's just...still an open wound..." I replied, raising my gaze to the cloudless sky. "Thank you..."

I could stay like this forever and a day.

When Shorter leaned his face against my shoulder, I could feel his smile. Picturing it in my mind made me happy, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to hold onto that for the rest of my life.
"If I had to sum it up in one word...I'd have to say...angelic." He murmured, nuzzling into the crook of my neck.

"It really is...Like heaven, huh? So much better than skyscrapers and billboards..." I sighed, my attention finally being pulled when he released a small chuckle, curling his other arm around me.
"No, I didn't mean the view. I mean you. You're the angel."

I'm...hardly an angel...

Pivoting around as far as I could in his hold, I struggled to find my words, my cheeks heating up the longer I took.
"A..angel..? Maybe you...uh...need prescription shades, Shor...You're seeing things." Shifting a little so I could turn completely, Shorter shook his head, tilting it to the side so his hair fell a smidge.

"No, I'm positive. Ages ago, when I was younger, my sister sent me a Christmas card, the first time I went to juvi. It had the most beautiful angel on the cover. It's funny, because it looks a lot like Ash..." I irked at that, but he shook his head to tell me to let him continue. "He may look physically similar, but you? You capture the very essence of it. Every single thing about that card that kept me going, I see in you. I feel from you..."

Speechless, that's what I was. Nobody had ever said anything quite as saccharine to me before, and even if they had, nobody could ever have said it as sincerely. Chewing on my tongue, I decided that now would be a better time than any to confess further.

"You know, even though you literally abducted me from my bedroom, and kind of seriously traumatised me...I feel safe with you. Not just the normal kind of safe, like nothing could hurt me, but like...safe. The bad things in my head actually shut up when you're close to me. Not complete silence, but...I dunno..." I tried to hide my face in his chest, but he wouldn't allow it. One hand moving to cup my cheek, he pulled me closer, his nose tip pressing to mine.

"I'm glad. I wanna shut them up. For good. Take it all away and make sure it never comes back." He whispered, ghosting a kiss over my parted lips. "I think I'd do pretty much any damn thing for you. Call it an obsession, if you wanna...but I'm fine with that. Still don't understand how you could feel safe around a guy like me, but I'll take it. Happily..."