Pushover | Aether x Reader

Twenty-Three

Archons, he liked her.

Aether sunk into the bed, pulling his blanket over his face. "I'm okay," he said, voice muffled. He wondered why she suddenly asked.

"Out of the ones directly involved here, you're the most innocent," she muttered. "I've thought about it, and you didn't deserve any of that."

He knew they were having a serious conversation, but he could not help but notice all the little things that made him go insane: her hand placement, her steady breathing that he could hear was in close proximity to him, her tender voice...

It was amazing to even think that this was the same person that shooed everyone away with a cold tone before this moment.

He wanted to respond to her, but all that came out of his mouth were incoherent words.

He felt her shuffle closer to him, sending him into a fit of panic in which he clutched his blanket tighter than ever. How was he supposed to explain how flustered he looked?

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

A teardrop fell on his blanket, seeping through the cloth and touching his skin. Forgetting all about his concerns, he pulled down his blanket and sat up.

She looked so distraught and shaken. It was almost astonishing how long she must have kept those feelings masked up.

"(Y/n)..." he said softly. "It's not your fault."

"No, it is." She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "If I hadn't led Zandik on back then, none of this would've happened."

Aether raised an eyebrow. "Led him on? How so? I don't believe you would've done such a thing on purpose."

(Y/n) let out a dry laugh. "You have so much faith in me, Aether. I didn't do it on purpose but I should've known better."

"No, you're wrong." Aether placed a hand on her shoulder, his other hand wiping her tears. "People's decision to be a jerk will never be your fault."

He looked straight at her; his golden eyes uncontrollably drawing her in.

"It is not your fault."

"But-"

"No. It's not." He shook his head. "(Y/n), how is your relationship with your parents?"

The girl stared at him incredulously. "What?"

His breath hitched, knowing full well what direction this conversation would take them.

God, he wanted to protect her so, so bad. wanted to shield her from all the wickedness in this world. He could see through her facade: the act she put up to appear like she had it all together.

He knew she didn't.

"Your relationship with your parents- tell me." He pursed his lips.

(Y/n) sniffed, her mind racing to the point she could no longer make sense of what was happening. She had no idea why he was asking her such a personal question- but she was more shocked as to why she decided to answer.

And so the (h/c)-haired girl told him everything. She told him of how they had started as a close-knit family, not too well-off, and how they used to rely on food coupons to survive.

"I'd always been studious and willing to help. It was just a part of my upbringing. My parents had always been my best friends," she said. "So when it came the time their joint business took off, I was happy for them— even if it meant they got to spend less time with me. They always told me to continue to study hard so I could carry on their legacy." Her face fell. "But I didn't realize how much they despised living in poverty."

"I never once complained about our financial issues," she continued. "Mother and father always had smiles on their faces. They had always encouraged me to pursue what I wanted to pursue. At least, that's what I thought before I went into theatre and my grades began to drop."

"And then they started treating you unfairly?"

"Not necessarily." She shook her head. "But I could tell they started to love me less. Every time we spoke, it was as if nothing mattered anymore other than my achievements. That's why I quit theatre and started working hard."

She did not realize, but she was resting her head on Aether's shoulder- a complete act of letting her guard down.

"That's when they finally decided to move to another country to grow their business, leaving me all alone to finish my studies," she finished.

"I'm sorry. It's probably been a while since you've woken up to a hot breakfast, huh?" Aether said.

"Yup." (Y/n) sighed. "But it's all in a day's work. If I want something, I gotta earn it."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, plastering an artificial smile on her face. "Well, enough about me. What about you?"

"Me?" Aether pointed at himself. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you also live alone because of Lumine's departure?" (Y/n) said, confused. "I-I mean- pardon me if I assumed such a thing-"

"No, you're correct, don't worry." Aether chuckled, patting her head. "I was just shocked that word got out that fast. Yes, I live alone now. Lumine and I have been on our own for quite some time now, so when she left, that meant all I had was myself."

"I see." (Y/n) nodded, looking away solemnly. "That makes both of us then."

"Mhmm," Aether fiddled with his blanket's loose thread.

For a moment, both the girl and the boy sat in comfortable silence, basking in one another's presence. Even though their friendship was undefined, they could not deny how close they felt at that very moment.

"Then... Why don't we live together?"

(Y/n) raised her head, astounded by the blond's preposition. She leaned back and started laughing. "You're joking. We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Aether bit the inside of his cheek, his face a light pink. "I can cook and clean. I promise to be a good housemate."

(Y/n)'s laughter soon died down upon the realization that he was being serious. She slowly got off the hospital bed and ruffled his hair.

"I'll think about it then." She smiled. "Seems like a promising deal to me."

She looked at her watch. "Well, it's time for my check-up. I gotta go back to my room before Hu throws a fit." She said. "I enjoyed our talk."

As she turned around to leave the room, Aether could not help but wonder when he developed all the audacity.

'Why did I say that?!' He panicked internally.

"Oh and!" (Y/n) looked at him over her shoulder. "Thanks for cheering me up. I feel the most comfortable with you and I've no idea why."