Beside You || Mifune x Reader

Chapter 4 REWRITTEN

"What's going on?" I ask, looking to each of the girls. They all shift in their spots and look to each other. They all know something, but their uncomfortable look tells me none of them want to say it. "Where's everyone else?"

"They all went to gather some more firewood," Ripley says. "But we gotta tell you something."

Sara offers me a blanket. The low fire in front of us offers little heat, yet I politely decline. When Mike returns, I hope that he makes the offer to me. Nothing against Sara, she is lovely, and I do not want to offend her. But Mike is who has my interest.

"What are your thoughts on Mike?" Ripley asks. I immediately feel my face what up and flush what must be a bright red. My thoughts struggle and scramble at what I could say.

"Well, he's uh, pretty cool, I guess," I stammer over my words.

"Are you sure?" Sara asks. Carrie and Ripley nod in agreement. It seems I was not slick enough to get away with that lie either.

"We just wanted to warn you about him. He's our friend. Well, Scott's friend since they were kids, really. Anyway, he's a bit of a player. And he does this thing a lot, like a lot, where he is able to charm ladies for his own benefit and leave them in the dust." Carrie seems so sweet and honest, but I cannot believe what she is saying. I do not even need to use my empathy magic to know that what he feels is real and genuine. Mike is such a down to earth and chill guy. He does not seem like the type to manipulate anyone. Even as a human, that could not be him.

"He's a slick little liar is what he is," Ripley interjects. "He twists his rather mundane life into something better to make him seem just, better in general. Don't like the guy, don't know why we invite him anywhere. Can't stand him."

Oh, okay. I will keep that in mind." I do not want to get defensive about him. Especially since they all seem to be not so fond of him. I would rather stay on their good sides. Even if I know they are wrong. As an empathy witch, it is in my blood to be able to figure out people's personalities and see past the face that they put on. There is no way that Mike would lie about his life, especially to weasel his way into the favour of a girl like me.

A silence falls between us. Broken, thankfully, rather quickly by the snapping of branches from across the clearing. Through the brush walk out Scott with his arms full of firewood. Mike follows behind, him too carrying firewood. He looks so strong, able to carry all that weight. And once our eyes land on each other, the corner of his mouth turns up into a smirk.

"Hey, (Y/n). How are you?" He asks. The boys all drop their loads of firewood into a pile. He sounds so casual and calm. I like to think that inside he is excited and trying to keep himself from looking obsessed in front of his friends.

"Pretty good, how are you?"

"Ah, I'm alright." He strides smoothly over and takes a seat on the ground beside me. He adjusts himself and moves in closer. His hand falls right next to my leg, brushing against it. As he leans on it, I can catch a whiff of his intoxicating scent. My heart beats quicker and I try to contain all of my excitement bubbling up inside of my chest.

He stays like that, close to me, as conversation picks up. He peeks over at me out of the corner of his eye. Every once in a while he'll smirk. And I can swear that he even tried to blow a kiss quickly before looking away. Every single time, he captures my attention, and it is like the entire rest of the world fades away. From everyone else talking around us, to the warm roar and crackle of the fire, the cool night air, even my fight with Mifune. It all falls away and as if it never existed. In those few moments, it is only Mike and I.

As I laugh amongst everyone else at a joke Carrie made, I notice a small chill prick at my leg. It startles me, and it appears to startle everyone else as it happens again and again. The cold wet drops fall from the sky, increasing in their velocity and weight. A small dribble quickly turns to a downpour in a matter of seconds. Everyone shouts, scrambling up from their seats. I stand, stunned at the events. My vision for the night, the cuddling and the romance, stifled like the fire in this rain.

Mike grabs my wrist. I look over to him, and as the others run to their respective tents, he pulls me towards his. I nearly topple over myself trying to follow after him. I leap into the warm confines of the tent as Mike zips the door and seals us inside. Alone. Together.

Mike laughs, looking over at me.

"Well, not how I wanted to get you alone, but I guess this works." He sits next to me. I heat up at his statement. He wanted to be around me alone? He does like me back! This might have been exactly what I needed for some romance. "So, something tells me there's something here. Can you feel it?"

I giggle nervously, without being able to control how it comes out. I can feel this tension between us, starting to overflow now that we are alone in this dark place. I can only see his outline, and as my eye adjust he starts to become more clear. He is staring right at me. Eyes laser focused on mine. They drop, for a moment, to fall on my lips. Then just as quickly they look back into my eyes again.

In a swift movement, Mike kneels across from where I sit. His face moves in closer, and I instinctively fall back as he crawls on top of me. Heat radiates off of him, and I crave it for more than just the comfort it would provide from the cold outside. All the while, our eyes remain locked on each other.

He hovers over top of me. Thankfully, the dark hides my flushed heated face. I watch as he slowly lowers his face. For a moment I think he is going to kiss me. Before I think to lean in and close my eyes he brings his lips to my ear to whisper.

"If you'll let me, I want to show you how special you are. God, you're pretty."

"I'm all yours," I whisper back. Mike squeezes my side with his strong hand. His touch is addictive. I am ready for love. I know I am. I just need to be absolutely sure what love feels like. Something inside me is urging me to be certain.

I summon my magic in the palm of my hand, cupping Mike's face. Just this once, I will use it to feel what he is feeling.