"ANTHONY TUCKER!" She yelled out angrily as the Ferris wheel suddenly started moving. Keigo swallowed nervously, his eyes wide with anxiety as Anthony gave him a smile in return. What the hell was he doing? "You slippery little snake! You just wait til I get my hands on you!"
"Have fun you two!" He called back, giving Keigo one last wink, his shoulders shaking as he laughed before quickly ducking back into the fair crowd. He watched as she grimaced, her fist clenching as she turned to look at him. His stomach was uneasy as he watched her, unsure of what to say. Was she really that upset about having to spend time alone with him?
"Sorry 'bout that. It seems like Anthony thinks he's fuckin' funny," she said with a forced smile. He gave her a small smile in return, shrugging slightly.
"It is alright. I do not mind," he replied, his golden eyes meeting hers before he turned towards the view with a soft sigh. It was nice, but there wasn't enough wind on his face to make it feel like flying. As sad as that made him feel, he couldn't help but appreciate the view regardless. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been up so high.
"I thought you would be able to feel the wind, but we are too enclosed for it, I think. The view is beautiful. Anthony was right."
She let out a strangled hum in response, causing him to frown slightly. What was he doing wrong that she seemed so miserable? What the hell was Anthony thinking trapping the two of them together like this? She was obviously uninterested in him, despite Anthony saying otherwise, so trying to push them together seemed fairly pointless.
He sighed quietly as the car slowly came to stop right at the very top of the wheel. It was beyond beautiful, unable to stop his smile as he surveyed the land below them.
Then suddenly the cart lurched, swaying in a sudden breeze, and she made a strangled sounding noise, scrambling herself across the car and right into Keigo's arms before he could even register what was happening.
Her perfume flooded his senses, his heart hammering as his body stiffened at the sudden contact. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying to every god possible that he could keep himself from popping a boner as she pushed away from him slightly, her expression embarrassed as they looked at each other. Why the hell did she have to be so beautiful?
"Sorry, I just—heights," she stammered, avoiding eye contact as relief flooded through him at her words. "Not really my thing."
Well at least she hadn't looked so miserable because she was with him alone, she was just afraid of heights. He almost wanted to laugh at himself, he'd been so spun up over absolutely nothing. But why the hell would she allow Anthony to drag her on something that she would be afraid of? He was just about to open his mouth and tell her that heights was a common fear when another breeze blew through the cart, the sudden chill causing her to shiver as it rocked again.
He was quick to react, wrapping her against him without another second's hesitation and holding her against his chest tightly. Her hands quickly grasped his shirt, her face pressing into the unscarred side of his neck as he struggled to control his breathing. When was the last time a woman was this close to him, especially one he was actually interested in? He could feel his pants getting tighter and he really needed to say something to break the tension and distract himself otherwise he was afraid he'd suffocate in it.
"So this is what he meant by facing our fears? I thought he meant me and the fire," he said with a small chuckle, hoping some humor would help the situation. He wanted to help her through her fear, just like she had helped him after the bonfire. "You helped me, so I help you. Yeah?"
She nodded against his neck and he sighed, enjoy her warmth against him as he turned to look out at the view the Ferris wheel offered. It was beautiful, people below them pushing through the crowds, the sounds of the various rides and conversations floating through the air. He wished he was higher up, soaring so far that the people looked like ants. He wanted to fly through clouds and laugh as the water held within smacked against his face. It was times like this where he realized how much he missed his quirk.
"I, uh, lost my quirk in the war," he said quietly, surprising himself with his admission as she moved away from his neck to look up at him. There was just something about her that made him want to be open about things, and this seemed like it was a good place to start at least. It would give her some details about himself, without him having to actually admit he was Hawks. He was going to tell her, he knew he had to eventually, but this wasn't the right time.
"But when I had it, I got to be up high a lot. I miss this view, but it could be scary for some people. I understand it." He continued with a small smile.
She didn't say anything, just blinked at him before frowning slightly. "Do you miss Japan?" She asked quietly after a few seconds, and he hesitated as he tried to come up with an answer. He missed some things about Japan, sure. It was where he grew up, it was his first language and the biggest thing he missed was the food, but otherwise he was fairly content in America.
"No. Not really. I like it here. I have a nice house, my chickens, and I even got some new friends," he said, unable to stop his small grin as she giggled. God it was like music to his ears. "Tell me about your horses. Did you always own them?"
She shifted, and he allowed her to finally move off his lap and into the seat next to him, despite the fact he would've much rather kept her in his arms. Instead he opted to keep an arm around her, pulling her against his side and praying to everything that he wasn't overstepping.
"I bought them after my husband died," she shared, and he swallowed nervously as he looked at her. This was the first time she was bringing up Luke to him, which was huge from what he had gathered. Anthony had even told him at the bar that he wasn't sure if she would ever bring him up and he wanted nothing more to encourage it. He wanted her to feel comfortable talking with him about those things, though his own nerves about the situation were conflicting.
Would she talk so openly with him about her dead husband if she knew who he really was?
"I used to ride horses a lot; I even competed until high school, but I missed it. So, he used to take me to this ranch on date nights. They were the horses we would ride together each time we went. Loki loved him but seemed to hate other people," she said and he watched as her face lit up as she spoke. It was contagious, his own smile quickly gracing his face as he watched her.
"I am sorry for your loss, but he sounds like he was a good man," Keigo said softly, grinning at her as she blinked at him. "You look happy when you talk about him. You should do it more; I am always happy to listen."
"You're real sweet, ya know that?" She replied with a shy smile, and he couldn't help the sudden rush of butterflies in his stomach at her words. The Ferris wheel continued its slow descent, finally bringing them back to the ground. He didn't want to let go, but had no choice as the ride finally came to a stop and the attendant opened the door for them. He stood to help her out, his cheeks feeling flushed as she gave him a smile in return.
Together they exited the ride and she stopped, looking around before frowning. "Where the hell did he run off to now?"
"Let's explore the fair a bit. I'm sure he will find us eventually," Keigo suggested, and she shot him a smile before agreeing.
"The horse competition starts in a few minutes; we could always go see that while we wait for stupid to finally call," she said with another soft giggle, and he couldn't help but smile before nodding and motioning for her to take the lead.
"So why did you stop competing?" He asked, unable to stop his curiosity and he watched as she shrugged in response, frowning slightly as they both pushed their way through the crowd and back towards the livestock barns.
"Different priorities at the time. I wanted to spend more time with Luke, needed to work and study. I didn't really have time for all that extra stuff. I miss it sometimes, though."
"If you miss it, you should do it again, yeah? You have horses; you could compete," he said, and watched with interest as she frowned as if his suggestion was foreign to her. Had she seriously never thought about getting back into it? She looked like she was about to reply when someone who was pushing past him said something that made his heart nearly stop.
"Did you hear? A dog apparently got into the chicken shed. It only got one before someone caught it and hauled it out-"
His eyes widened at the words, dread filling the pit of his stomach as he pushed forward without even thinking, his body moving completely on its own. He pushed through people, ducking and weaving as he made his way through the crowd and back towards the shed where he'd left Nugget. If something had happened, he would never be able to forgive himself for leaving her alone like that.
He felt someone grabbing onto his shirt, but he couldn't stop and as he reached the entrance of the barn, it was absolute chaos. People were gathered around, some murmuring, others trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. He pushed through, people muttering at his rudeness as he made his way inside and the sight that greeted him was almost enough to bring him to his knees.
His eyes immediately landed on the spot where he'd left Nugget not even an hour ago, praying that it wasn't her, but her cage wasn't there. His heart thumped as he surveyed the scene, unable to stop himself from letting out a distressed breath. There were golden feathers scattered around, the other chickens screaming and squawking around them, and so much blood splattered around. They had said the dog had only killed one, so how the hell was is possible there was so much fucking blood?
He forced his eyes to move, landing on the cage he'd brought her in before finally landing on the limp mangled body beside it as his world suddenly came crashing down around him.
"Nugget!" He cried out, as he raced forward, reaching down and gently scooping her small, cold, body against him. He could feel the blood soaking into his shirt, but he couldn't have cared less in that second, sinking to his knees as he squeezed his eyes closed to try and shut out the gruesome scene he held in his hands.
"This is all my fucking fault," He whispered, shaking his head sadly as he held her tightly against him. If he hadn't left her, he could've stopped the dog from attacking her. He couldn't stand it, his stomach twisting as he imagined how scared she must've been as the dog clawed and chewed her cage open. He wanted nothing more than to cry, but he kept the tears in. He could hear people already whispering around him, judging his reaction but they didn't understand how much she had meant to him.
People were going to tell him that it was just a chicken, that she would be easy to replace, but she wasn't. He had raised her all the way from an egg, he had nurtured and loved her and now she was gone, torn away from him because he'd decided spending time with a girl was more important than making sure she was safe.
Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision as he struggled with everything that was happening. What was he going to do without Nugget? How were Tender and Oscar going to react when he went home without her?
The thoughts came fast, one after the other as he quickly found himself becoming overwhelmed, his anxiety starting to flare and the darkness he worked so hard to push down inside him to start creeping forward. It was too much, all too fucking fast.
Then suddenly, a figure appeared before him, gradually lowering herself to the ground in front of him. He lifted his gaze, unshed tears clouding his vision until he finally met her eyes. Without hesitation, she gently took Nugget from his trembling arms, carefully placing the lifeless body back into the remnants of her cage.
Turning back towards him, two small arms wrapped around his neck as she carefully nestled her head under his chin, fitting against him so perfectly. It almost felt as if she was completing a puzzle inside him that he hadn't even realized was unfinished.
His missing piece.
What the hell was happening to him? He hardly knew her and yet it felt like he'd really known her forever. He surrendered to her embrace after a second of hesitation, wrapping his arms around her tightly in return. Her presence brought him a sense of calm, easing the pain in his soul as he buried his face in her hair, finding solace in the comforting scent of her shampoo.
"Keigo, I am so sorry." She whispered to him gently and he took a deep breath, his body starting to relax in her embrace. What the hell was this power she seemed to hold over him?
"Oh god!" Another voice suddenly said, Keigo looking up to see that Anthony had finally rejoined them. Y/N was quick to let him go as she turned her head to look at him with an annoyed expression, crossing her arms as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Nice of ya to finally join us," she snapped at him, shaking her head as they watched him. He had obviously run from wherever he had slunk off too. He was doubled over, his hands grasping his knees as he took deep breaths.
"I know, I'm sorry. I heard the crowds talkin' and rushed straight here. I was hopin' it wasn't, but I am so fuckin' sorry. They don't allow dogs here, but I'll get to the bottom of what happened. Jaxson, the one from the bonfire, he's a cop. I can get him to look into it."
"It is okay," Keigo said quickly, not wanting to make more of a scene than he already had. He swallowed hard as he glanced at the cage holding Nugget's body before letting out a large breath.
He stood, unable to stop his embarrassment as he felt people's eyes staring at him. "It was just an accident, but I, uh, I think I should just go home now. People are staring and I have made myself look stupid enough–"
"No! Fuck 'em!" She said angrily, rising to stand next to him. She turned to the crowd that had gathered near the door, crossing her arms as she glared at them. "They don't know the first thing about ya or about Nugget. So don't pay them no mind Keigo, they're just nosy no good gossipers!" She turned back to him, giving him a soft smile as the people who'd gathered slowly started to disperse again.
"Look, people talk. I know that better than anyone, but ya just gotta learn to ignore it. Their opinions are shit." she said gently, suddenly making him feel like he might be overreacting. After all, she'd lost her husband in a war and here he was crying over a chicken. "I know ya wanna just go home, but come back to my farm instead like we planned. Going home now will just make it worse. I've got a beautiful spot where we can lay her to rest down by a river that cuts through the property. We can still hang out like Anthony wanted, get your mind off it for a bit."
He blinked at her a few times, unable to stop the warmth in his chest at her concern over him, before finally nodding in agreement. Even he had to admit she had a point. If he went home now, all he was going to do was wallow in his loss. He would cry and curse and possibly drink until he was ready to turn to the one thing that he always knew helped, and that was not the answer. He would have to attend a meeting, would have to call Tomi and talk himself down off the cliff and the last thing he wanted was to disturb her in the middle of the night.
"I can meet the horses? We name your chickens too, yeah?" He asked, wiping his face with his sleeve as she gave him a soft smile and nod. Anthony let out a chuckle at his words, grabbing a dirty looking blanket and covering Nugget's cage with it before scooping it into his arms. Keigo gave him a strained smile but he was grateful for it, secretly glad he could no longer see what was underneath.
"I am sure Loki can't wait," Anthony said, as Y/N laced her arm through his and started to escort him back through the entrance. Anthony seemed thrilled, giving him a large smile as they walked together. They were almost through the doors when an unsettling feeling suddenly took hold of his stomach, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
Someone was watching him.
He glanced around, unable to find the source of his unease, but he knew they were there. He'd been a hero long enough to trust his senses, even without Fierce Wings. He frowned as he continued to look around the barn, realization hitting him as he scanned his surroundings. Why the hell had a dog come so far into the barn before snatching a chicken? It didn't make any logical sense.
Had Nugget actually been targeted on purpose?