Yamoto leads Pierre to a bedroom in the same hallway as you. "Would you like me to bring up your meal for you Pierre?"
"No it's alright. I'd like to rest up for a bit." Pierre bows to Yamoto. Nodding his head, Yamoto excuses himself from you and Pierre. Pierre lays his hazel eyes on your face with a gentle smile. "You should join your friends for lunch Miss."
"Pierre, you can drop the title with me. You don't work for my dad anymore." You purse your lips when you glance at Pierre. A sadness washes over you from his bruises. Nothing but guilt eats at you. You bow to Pierre before closing the door behind you.
The door closes with a soft click and Pierre relaxes his shoulders. A smile etches across his face. "You ask me to drop your title, yet you bow to me instead of just saying goodbye." He dryly chuckles to himself and walks over to the bed to lay down.
You idle a bit in front of Pierre's door. Your mind is at ease that he's safe here and away from your father. But you still wonder if you helped Pierre or did you put him in a more difficult position.
"Y/N?" A voice calls out to you from the bottom steps. You hurry over to the staircase and see Konoha. Your chest tightens when you look down at him from the top step. The two of you momentarily stare at each other in silence.
How is Konoha feeling after your fathers discussion?
He must be upset and torn. You can't imagine the stress he'll be under when he tells everything to his father.
You're just troubling everyone. Ugh...
"Lunch is ready. We're eating outside by the garden today." Konoha clears his throat and speaks up again. Nodding your head, you hurry down the staircase to stand beside him. "Let's go Akinori." You force a smile on your face and walk ahead of him. Konoha widens his eyes for a brief moment. He's taken aback that Y/N is calling him by his first name. The corner of his lips twitch into a smile.
"To think, not long ago you didn't know where anything was." Konoha teases you when he hurries over to your side. Puckering your lips out, you mumble back. "There's too many turns in this house. Who wouldn't get lost?" Konoha quietly chuckles under his breath and the two of you step out into the garden past the glass doors. Bokuto is already stuffing his face with fried chicken.
Akaashi eyes him with disdain. "Can you share some of the chicken with us? There's side dishes here too."
"But Yamoto makes the best fried chicken. If you're not going to grab any now, I'm inhaling it all." Bokuto speaks with a full mouth. You take a seat beside Akaashi and his face relaxes when he sees you. "Where's Pierre?"
"He's resting in his room." You answer Akaashi with a small smile. He notices the slight sadness to Y/N's tone but he doesn't point it out. He reaches over for a fried chicken thigh and places it on your plate. "I'm sure Pierre would want you to eat and so do I. Plus, Bokuto's mouth is a vacuum cleaner right now. We should eat what we can before it's gone." Akaashi tucks a stray hair behind your ear, forming a warm smile towards you.
Your heart races from Akaashi's kindness. You feel special every time you see his smile towards you. You wipe away the tears that are brimming up in the corner of your eyes. Bokuto averts his eyes and places a drumstick on your plate. "Here. You can have the last drumstick."
"I was eyeing that." Konoha grumbles out. Bokuto glances at Konoha and points to his eyes. He tries to express to Konoha that Y/N is tearing up. But Konoha doesn't understand Bokuto's horrible hand gestures.
"Are we playing a game?" Konoha raises an eyebrow and he starts to throw out random words. You giggle at the two. Akaashi's chest warms up when he hears Y/N's melodious giggle. "Drumstick eye? Chicken eye? What are you trying to say Bokuto. You know I suck at these kinds of games."
Bokuto groans out, "You're a lost cause Konoha." Konoha gasps at Bokuto, snatching the chicken breast off of his plate and taking a bite out of it before Bokuto can snatch it back. Lunch ends loudly with Bokuto trying to stop the three of you from eating any more chicken.
You're walking Akaashi to the door to see him off, a sadness looms over you at the thought of him leaving for the day.
"Don't forget about tomorrow Y/N." Akaashi eyes you with a gentle smile. "It's getting colder lately so I better not catch you in a dress tomorrow."
You raise an okay hand sign and nod your head. "I'll also make sure to not tell Konoha about our date tomorrow." Akaashi smiles at Y/N's adorable response. He leans forward to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow then Y/N. Tell Pierre I said bye." Akaashi says his goodbyes and hops into the car with Bokuto and Yamoto.
You watch the car drive away and close the door in front of you. Your eyes glance upstairs and you quietly make your way up and towards Pierre's room. Your hand hovers over the door and you bite your bottom lip. The door opens in front of you and you falter back. "Oh, hello there Y/N." Pierre stares at you with an amused expression. "Were you coming to see me?"
Your cheeks heat up from embarrassment and you nod your head. "Are you feeling better?" Pierre shrugs. "I feel more refreshed but the pain still hurts everywhere. Since you're here, can you give me a tour around?"
"Sure. Just stick close to me or else you'll get lost." You giggle, leading Pierre downstairs. "Did you want to eat something first?"
Pierre shakes his head. "I'll wait for dinner. I don't have the appetite right now." Nodding your head, you hold back the frown you want to form. You spend roughly twenty minutes with the tour for Pierre. The tour ending outside at the garden. "I'm guessing you like to spend most of your time here?" Pierre glances over to you. You blush from how easily Pierre can read you. "Yeah. It's not as colorful as the garden back at home but it's still beautiful."
The two of you quietly sit down on a bench, a comfortable silence. Your thoughts swirl in your mind again from the moment of peace. You're again questioning yourself if you made the right choice in pulling Pierre away from your parents. They took him in when no one else would and this is how he repays them years later. You've most likely put Pierre in a tougher spot.
"Y/N." Pierre presses a finger between your knitted brows. "Are you worrying over me?"
Clamming up and avoiding Pierre's eyes, your behavior answers his question. "What are you worrying about me for?" Biting your bottom lip you begin to speak. "I wonder if I should've taken you away from father. I don't know if it's the right choice. My parents gave you a roof over your head and employed you without a second thought. I feel like this is a bad way to repay them."
A smile forms on Pierre's face when he sees Y/N's troubled expression. His hand gently rests on the top of her head. "You're too mature for your age Y/N. You shouldn't have these kinds of thoughts but I guess it's hard not to with the way you were raised." He drags out an exhale and strokes Y/N's hair. "But, there's nothing for you to worry about Y/N. I'm sure I repaid your parents within these past ten years. Now I'm a free man." Pierre wears a bright smile when you look over to him. "I know young master Konoha offered me a job here but I think I need a change of scenery."
"Change of scenery? Are you going to move somewhere?" Your eyes waver when you look at Pierre. He closes his eyes to avoid your facial expression. Pierre nods his head to your question. "You helped me find love in making desserts Y/N. I want to pursue a career as a pastry chef. I've saved up a hefty amount from working for your parents so I don't think it'll be too hard for me to settle in France."
"F-France?! Is that a good idea Pierre? Wouldn't you feel nervous being in a new country?"
Pierre flutters his eyes open and shakes his head. "I'm more excited than I am nervous. It'll take a month or two for me to finalize documents and find a place to call home, so I won't be separated from you that quickly."
France...Pierre is going to live in France in a two months.
The thought of him leaving makes you cry. He's the only one you really considered as family. He accompanied you since you were six and he was the only one to care for you beyond what was expected of him. You turn away from him, furiously wiping your tears. "I'm happy for you Pierre. Don't forget me when you become a famous pastry chef."
Pierre lightheartedly chuckles, he carefully hugs you from behind. "I can't forget the person who's helped me find my passion for pastries." Pierre's voice fills your ears and you can feel his light breathing. Your tears trickle down quickly and you feel a tightness in your chest. You miss him already even though he's right behind you.
What will you do when Pierre leaves? Should you go back home?
At times like this you wished you were close to your other relatives.
Your crying loudens as you gasp for air. You feel suffocated and trapped by your situation and you only wished to find an answer to your questions.
Pierre frowns as he gives Y/N a gentle squeeze. He'd like to take Y/N with him but her education comes first. He couldn't possibly tear her away from Akaashi either. The two of them sit like this for a moment longer.