Winds of Destiny: Falling ~ {Hawks x OC}

Chapter Eight: Tying Up Loose Ends

Misaki stood in the back-storage room of Tythan Savings and Loan, sifting through a drawer of loan files inside one of the many filing cabinets housed there. It had already been five days since the last robbery attempt and she'd finally convinced the bank manager to let her come back to work. Just sitting at home by herself made her antsy, and while she appreciated that Hawks had offered to help her if she started feeling anxious again, she didn't want to become too dependent on his assistance. She felt a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. That didn't mean she wasn't appreciative of the short messages he'd send to her throughout the day, or the quick calls he made to check in on her every night.

Sighing to herself, she groaned under her breath and began sifting through the same section of  files for the third time since her mind had begun wandering. She'd gotten past dwelling on the bank robbers and her fallen comrades after the night she'd spent with Hawks. Now in place of that worry she seemed to have developed a sort of existential crisis. She thought getting back to work would help distract her from it, but now... Going through the same mundane motions she'd gotten used to over the years just made her feel like she was dragging her arms and legs through sand.

"Back to work, huh?"

Misaki gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound of a voice suddenly addressing her from her right. Closing her eyes and lifting a hand to her chest, she slowly let out the breath she'd sharply inhaled before turning her head to glare at Hawks, who was leaning nonchalantly against the filing cabinet next to her.

"Where do you always sneak in from?" She asked him a bit caustically.

He tilted his head in her direction and shot her a sidelong grin. "Trade secret. If I told you I'd have to kill you. I'm kinda attached to you at this point, so I'd rather not."

Rolling her eyes at his playful response, Misaki turned back to the open drawer of the filing cabinet and resumed her task. "Why are you here? It's too early for lunch."

He turned his body toward her, crossing his arms, and leaning his shoulder against the cabinet. He tilted his head to the side and cocked an impish grin before replying in a slightly suggestive tone, "Just wanted to see your pretty face."

She immediately slid her eyes to the side to glare at him through her bangs as she snapped, "Get out."

Her sharp comeback sent him into a peal of laughter, and he held up his hands in front of him in a sign of surrender. "Okay, okay! I'm following up on the robbery. Bank manager asked me to scout the security after the upgrades."

Finally finding the file she had been looking for, she swiftly pulled it out of the drawer before sliding it shut. Turning away from him, she began walking off toward the exit while commenting under her breath, "Clearly they're not ungraded enough if you're still able to sneak in here undetected."

He followed after her, clasping his hands behind his head and matching her stride. "I'm a special case."

Shaking her head at his quippy remark, she dryly asked, "Why do I get the feeling people have been telling you that for most of your life?"

"Well, you would be right about that," he conceded after a moment, his expression one of thoughtful introspection.

"I'm shocked." Her dry tone was practically dripping with sarcasm.

He paced a few steps ahead, turning around to walk backwards in front of her while staring down at her as he glibly chimed, "One more thing to add to the list of things you know about me."

She continued walking, keeping her eyes stubbornly focused away from him as she shot back, "I'll file that under inconsequential details that I didn't really need to know."