˙Previously˙

I got my sights set on you and I'm ready to aim
I have a heart that will never be tamed
I knew you were somethin' special when you spoke my name
Now I can't wait to see you again

I got this crazy feelin' deep inside

When you called and asked to see me tomorrow night
I'm not a mind reader, but I'm readin' the signs
That you can't wait to see me again

~~~

Kid looked like a ghost. Shocked. Pale. But no matter the state he was in, he lightly shook me, forcing me to lock our eyes into an intimidating competition of will. "Y/n, stop it." He demanded without the roughness.

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words left me. It was as if I subconsciously knew he was right.

"I guess I don't have any other options. You are coming, if you like it or not."

~~~

"I don't follow. What you mean by-"

"What I mean by it-" He took my hand into his grasp and pulled me from the bed fence, leaning a bit to my ear. "You are sleeping with me."

Before I could blush fiercely and reveal my total embarrassment as well as my equally hot face, I hurried on: "W-what the hell! I-I am not s-sleeping with you!"

"How can you be so sure?" Kid looked out with a calm stare.

"Are you seriously asking me that?! That is practically considered sexual harassment, you idiot!" I crossed my arms on my chest and huffed. "I won't budge an inch. So...Ha!" I stuck out my tongue, indeed a childish thing to do as a grown-up but I didn't care at that momentum. Tho I cared for the neutral expression he was giving me, not a scolding or a threatening one. "We'll see about that."

He spun me over. Kid's hand held my back, delaying my legs from collapsing under me, while efficiently grabbing the inner side of my limbs and then effortlessly lifting me into his arms bridal-style.

You're everything I thought you never were

And nothing like I thought you could've been

But still you live inside of me

So tell me, how is that?

My hands subconsciously crouched on my chest as if I was trying to protect the last thing I had and didn't want to abandon it. "L-let go of me!" I whispered-screamed, throwing a half angry half surprised glare at the male, pink flush coloring my cheeks.

"Shut up. You'll wake everyone up." He unsympathetically retorted, a small mischievous grin prolonging on his lips. I wanted to be angry at Kid, seriously antagonized by his selfishness. But something about all of it and the fact it was him that thought he could conquest everything what his whimsical nature desired, no matter the obstacles, made me...intrigued?

"Whose fault is that?!"I yelped when he made a sharp turn.

"If you don't shut up, I will lock you up."

"What the hell?! How is that even different from what you are doing right now?!"

He flashed me a white arch of teeth. "It is."

I sniffed. "How?! Please do explain. I'm really curious."

"Mousy..." Kid's voice trailed off as we both disappeared into the darkness of the corridor. I squirmed at his unfazed look. The only logical thing for me was just to go with the flow and let him carry me. It wasn't like I had enough power to refuse him. I was all drained up from the lack of sleep and constant functioning on the yarn.

You're the only one I wish I could forget

The only one I love to not forgive

And though you break my heart

You're the only one

He swiftly opened the room with one hand and closed it with a click in the doorknob. My breath hitched when my sight adjusted to the darkness and consumed the surrounding. The room was larger, way spacious in comparison to mine, but nevertheless, it was hidden from the mourning moonlight that tried to force itself from the darkly painted curtains, as the windows were slightly opened, and the fresh breeze entered the space.

"Go to sleep." He silently demanded when he had put me down on the hard ground.

"No." I answered.

"Get in!" Kid insisted, raising his bloody-colored eyes to mine.

"No!"

"Now." He whispered, sighing heavily.

"Make m-" The redhead quickly responded to my repeated refusal, conveniently covering my mouth with his hand. "Trust me. That's a sentence you don't want to finish." He stayed in that position until he was sure I was calm enough not to throw a tantrum, then he yanked his hand away from me and slid it into his pocket as if the touch affected him more than it should have.

And though there are times when I hate you 'cause I can't erase

The times that you hurt me and put tears on my face

"Why am I here?" The susceptible atmosphere deepened. Prominent altercation was on the horizon.

Or so I thought...

And even now while I hate you, it pains me to say...

"I can't let you be alone." Kid finally uttered, his tone quieter but still remaining determined. We stared back at each other for what seemed like hours until he finally dropped his gaze while at the same time leaving me stunned.

I know I'll be there at the end of the day

I don't wanna be without you, babe

I don't want a broken heart

Don't wanna take a breath without you, babe

I don't want to play that part

"...Oh... I see. " Then I looked away. How should I respond?  I was utterly confused.

Fearing I would make a wrong move, I skipped to the left side of the bed and like a small child hopped in and wrapped the loose blanket around my body.

Was all of that real just now, or did I hallucinate? Is my mind playing games with me? Am I actually dreaming? If so... I didn't finish the confrontation that I had with myself. The warmth dragged me deeper into the cushion. I widened my eyes...Wait it is warm... So that means... He was sleeping before he came for me?

There's something that I feel I need to say

But up till now I've always been afraid

That you would never come around

And still I wanna put this out

...

By the time I finally understood what was happening around me, my heart stopped beating with such tremendous speed. Inhaling the smell from the covers and unwillingly succumbing to the pleasant calmness, I again lost count of all the times he had won me over.

I breathed slowly, not to rigid or rapid, playing Kid's words again and again, until they sounded just like a tune. Though it all came to an end, when I heard a rustling noise behind me. "What are you doing?" I turned and astonishingly stared at the redhead. He casually leaned on the pillow so he could face me directly, not backing away nor retrieving when he noticed my uneasiness.

"Sleeping. Never heard of it?" Kid retorted in a husky voice.

"B-but...I..I mean...You...We... We can't be like this...W-what if someone sees?" I managed to say, still feeling a bit off from my usual element.

"I'll personally take care of it. So, be good and sleep." His even tone seemed to mean business.

Nonsense. How can I do anything in this position?

I thought about it for a second or two, then it was right in that moment when the blub lightened up. "Ok, if you say so...I hope you won't mind if I do this..." I grabbed one of the numerous pillows beside me and stocked it in the middle of the bed. Then I reached to the others, lining them up until I build a small fortress between us, dividing our sides into half. Kid's glazing eyes didn't left me out of his sight. "What the fuck are you doing?" He snorted when I grinned.

"A wall." I curtly answered, proud of my conceived idea and the admired masterpiece. I leaned back to my side, ignoring the pissed off male. The anger even intensified when I simply decided to face him with my back. "There, way better." Sounding satisfied and indifferent was a tough nut to crack. My acting skills weren't developed to the point of constantly masking my emotions but they were definitely sufficient enough not to create a flood of feelings. Victory or not, nothing could soothe my mind. That just consequently increased the anxiety. And the nausea that knitted itself inside my stomach was just a second-hand definition of a spreading parasite.

Now I'm at a place I thought I'd never be, ooo

I'm living in a world that's all about you and me, yeah

Ain't got to be afraid; my broken heart is free

...

I shuddered at the sudden chilliness. Does strange tendencies of my cold were frequent enough to make me freeze while trying to fall asleep, the low temperatures reaching my hands and feet. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I recurrently shivered and this time I guess the male noticed, of course if it weren't for my body, crunched into a ball even though it was relatively warm outside, he probably wouldn't have made a move.

I think.

"Y/n, you are trembling."

"I-I...I'm ok. Don't worry about it." I replied, sounding more ambivalent than assertive.

"Fuck, you are too persistent." Still rejecting the contact, I could feel the wall crumbling between us, the pillows being removed one after another as Kid's strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me to the complex of his chest, like a perfectly fit puzzle. A gentle flush of pink had arisen in my cheeks that certainly made me look ten times more vulnerable.

Oh, shit...I gulped, as my heart skipped a beat from the touch of his hands on my bare skin. "You know..." My voice cracked, but I resolved to neglect the unease. "I still don't get all of this. I could have stayed in my own room."

For a split second, I thought he had already fallen asleep, but when he spoke, his voice was imploring. "Please look at me."

I had promised myself not to easily oblige to his demands, but now I caught myself being intrigued by the temptation. He never said please. I can decline if I want to...But if I only think in a narrow-way, maybe I'll miss my last chance to be so close to him. If so, one time wouldn't hurt me.

To his bewilderment, I moderately turned around, my eyes stationing on the white pale skin. He quickly recollected himself and buried his face into my hair while he embraced me further to his body. His fingers circled around my arms and into the fabric, not clasping it tightly, but just enough to reassure me he would stay. The acceleration of my heart-rate had nothing to do with fear.

"You've been through a lot of shit. I know I can be a fucking bastard, but I do have some pride. I can't let you get hurt. With or without bounty, I decided to protect you."

Hungrily savoring his words, I deeply hoped for them to be true.

And then I heard it. Clearly... The sound of his heart, beating rapidly in the ribcage.

It is the same as mine... I thought.

"Hear that?" Kid murmured, squeezing me so it was impossible to evade the fragrance radiating from him. "Just focus on that." The redhead brought his hand to my hair and soothed it with stroking it "Better?"

I hummed into his chest.

"Good." Kid breathed. "Now sleep."

Even if it is just for now...I'm happy.

My eyelids became heavy and drooped with each passing thought I discharged and replaced with images of the him. Before I could stop my sleepy voice, I quietly whispered into the warm fabric of his shirt.

"I like you...Kid."

...

To spread my wings and fly away, away with you

Yeah, yeah, yeah

To be continued ...