Flying Free *Hawks x Reader*

Chapter 23

I hardly got any sleep last night. What he said, I don't even want to think about it, triggered a crisis of some sorts. Something I haven't experienced in a long time. I shut the door behind me quietly, making sure to not wake up the sleeping bird.

I sluggishly pulled out some ingredients to make breakfast for the day. Keigo had physical therapy for the third time this week at one, then I was meeting Katsumi again at two PM to do her maternity pictures.

Maybe after I was done with her shoot I could take some time to think things through. The word "love" scared me, what even is love? Something I've never had the opportunity to experience.

Thinking about last night caused my breathing to shorten with anxiety, I shook those thoughts away and turned on some music to pay attention to instead while I made breakfast for the two of us.

"Good morning dove, do you need help?" Keigo said groggily, coming into the kitchen.

"No I'm just about done with everything. I made tea, do you want some?" I turned around and smiled at him, despite the anxious feelings that deepened when he entered the room. He nodded his head, taking a seat at one of the bar stools.

I poured him a cup of tea and brought over the two plates of eggs for him and I. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mm, yeah I probably shouldn't have gotten drunk last night, the pills I took didn't do a whole lot for me. Uh thanks for taking care of me by the way."

"Don't thank me, you were drunk. If I didn't help you probably would still be asleep on the floor right now." I laughed to myself lightly.

"Well that, but thanks for taking care of me in general. I know it's been hard on you and I haven't been kind to you lately," he sighed, poking his eggs with his fork. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

I grabbed his hand from across the counter. "It's okay Keigo. You're going through a lot of things right now and I understand that. I don't want you to push me away, all I want to do is help you, just like when you helped me." He sent me a small smile and we continued to eat our breakfast peacefully in each other's presence.

"Can I help you clean up? I feel useless not being able to do anything," he asked shyly.

"Of course, I'll wash and you can dry, okay." he came over to help with the dishes, I was surprised he knew where everything went, considering everything in his kitchen was pretty much untouched for the most part.

He didn't bring up the 'L' word, thankfully, if so I wouldn't have a clue on how to react. Would I even be able to say it back to him?

"So do you have any plans today?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to answer him. "Oh yeah, I have a maternity photoshoot with this lady who is friends with Ms. Ross from the magazine company at two."

He nodded along as I continued to speak. "We're doing it at a hot spring location twenty minutes from here, it's only four hours so I should be home around six thirty."

With the dishes all dried and put away, he leaned back against the counter while I wiped up any mess from breakfast. "How much do you get paid for your photography? I don't think you've ever told me."

"It depends really, if I'm working for a company they decide on what to pay me after looking through my portfolios. My average per hour is two hundred thirty five for maternity and engagement photos then for anything else is one seventy five." The conversation flowed between us for the first time in a while, it was nice to actually talk to him.

"Have you ever done like a wedding or any other big events?"

"Nah, never had the opportunity for a wedding. I was supposed to do one, but they broke up before it even happened. I still got paid though which was a plus."