In Another Life

Chapter 7: Sorry to Bother You

Taking a step into Feitan's room, you're suddenly welcomed by his scent. Despite being a ruthless torturer, he smells like the warm summer evening breeze. You look around the room and find a figure in the black sheets quietly snoring.

He looks so peaceful. Kind of cute actually, you chuckle to yourself. The sight of a small man feared by hundreds in his bed cozying up to a pillow makes your heart melt. If you had your phone on you, you would have snuck a photo. Making your way closer to the edge of the bed, you start to take a better look at his face. Small features on his pale skin with strands of black hair draped over his forehead, you start to realize how soft he actually looks. You can't help but continue to stare, has he always looked so cute?

"Stop staring," you hear him say with his eyes still closed.

You jump back a little, distancing the two of you. "Sorry..." you apologize as Feitan sits up. The two of you stare at each other awkwardly. You're trying to formulate an excuse in your head as to why you were staring at him sleeping while he begins to get lost in your eyes. "Oh! Um, is this your blanket?" You ask, finally remembering why you were here in the first place.

He stares at your hand holding out the blanket. "Yes." is all he responds with. "Oh, well thanks for lending it to me," you smile. There it is. That smile, he thinks to himself. This is the third time he's seen your smile, not that he's keeping count.

"You looked cold," he explains while taking the blanket from you.

"Y-yeah I guess I lost track of time on the roof there," you laughed at yourself.

"Why were you there?"

"I- I was just thinking." You answer, looking down at the ground, embarrassed to admit that you were freaking out about the auction.

"Are you scared of the auction?" Feitan asked as if he was able to read your mind.

The words bring your attention back up to him, his eyes staring at you with curiosity. He seems...worried? Would he actually be worried about me? Does he even care about me? You ask yourself. "Kind of. I don't know how I'm going to react." You begin making your way back to the edge of his bed, sitting down on the other end.

He brings his body closer to yours, "You don't have to watch. You can sit backstage if you want." You can feel the concern in his voice, he really does care about your well-being.

"I think that would be better for me actually. I just- I would be considered a murderer. I would be considered a bad person."

"Am I a bad person?"

His question surprises you a little bit. Is he actually a bad person? He's definitely killed for sure, but he's so kind to me. He might act cold sometimes but he's not actually a bad person, right? The troupe is his job, he has reasons to commit those crimes.

"No, you're not." You respond and for the first time ever, he smiles at you. Has he always looked so handsome? You admire his face. His eyes, his lips, his skin under the morning rays, he looks so perfect one can easily forget that he's part of a murderous group.

Silence fills the room as both of you stare at each other thinking of something to say. The company of each other felt cozy, like taking a nap by the campfire.

"You can tell boss you don't want to go." Feitan suggested, hand gently brushing past yours as he makes his way out of bed to go change into a new shirt.

"No, I think I should go. Probably going to stay backstage the whole time." You mumble, staring down at your hand, replaying the very few seconds his hand made contact with yours. Something about that interaction made it linger in your mind. "And thank you , for the suggestion," you add. 

You look up to meet his toned torso as he puts himself in a fitted shirt, involuntarily smiling at the view.

"Glad to help," he says, tearing your eyes away from his now covered upper half and instead onto his face.

"I should get going now, we have have a meeting in a few minutes no?" You begin to make your way out of the room, standing up from the bed yet maintaining eye contact. A gentle smile is now painted on his face with a nod, you can't help but smile back at the view.

As you walk down the hallway, Feitan makes his bed with thoughts filling his mind to the brim. He can't help but think about your smile again, how it makes him feel at home, how kind you are to him despite just meeting him, how his feelings for you is creeping up on him. New, strange, yet comforting feelings that he's ever experienced before.

Oh god, is going on? He questions as he finally heads out of the room.