Work Text:
The day had been long, and the night even longer. At another one of Jin’s whims, Frostheim had held a ball, despite there being no special occasion to warrant one. At Kaito’s (and Jin’s) insistence, I’d decided to attend. But after the first dance, there was nothing other than incessant drivel and backhanded compliments from the Frostheim general students. So, after muttering a string of “excuse me”s and “please let me through”s, I made my way out of the ball. At first, my walking pace was slow. After all, there wasn’t anything I needed to do. But then the general students’ comments flooded back into my mind, their unpleasant words tumbling throughout my head and blurring my vision. For every comment that echoed through my head, my steps became faster and faster, as if running would make their words go away. My feet had countless blisters from wearing the heels for so long, and tears threatened to spill out of my eyes at any second. I ran with no direction, no plan, other than to escape the party. When Frostheim was no longer in sight, I finally stopped running. After the adrenaline faded from my body, I realized my mistake. My blistered feet ached worse than ever before, rendering me immobile. Tears still blurring my vision, the campus became a whirlwind of colors. Tired, in pain, and emotionally unstable, I collapsed onto the floor and began to sob. At this point, it wasn’t even really about the student’s comments anymore. They’d just been the one to prick a hole that led to everything else flooding out in a stream of tears. I sobbed on the pavement, coughing and hacking until a single word echoed through the quiet night. “Princess?”
My head snapped up so quickly that my neck hurt a bit after. There stood Haku, in his casual button up shirt and slacks, his moss green hair much more neat than usual and his amber eyes filled with worry. And then I realized — I looked like shit. Makeup and snot running down my face, dress stained from my unceremonious drop onto the concrete, one heel laying a couple centimeters from my foot. I looked down just as quickly as I’d looked up, hiding my face in my hands. At first, there was only silence. After a little bit, I started to think that he’d just left. Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed him. But then, I felt his arms wrap around me. My eyes fluttered open in shock as he continued to hold me. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask, didn’t question. Instead, he rubbed circles on my back with his thumb, trying his best to comfort me. It took all of my self control to not burst into tears again. We stayed like that for a while, until I finally calmed down. I could feel myself regaining my senses, but I didn’t want to move. It was selfish, but I wanted to stay in his embrace. I wanted to melt into his arms, nuzzle into his chest, and then fall asleep next to him. But that wasn’t possible. So instead, I weakly said “I’m fine.” Unfortunately for my argument, my voice cracked. But Haku didn’t mention it. Instead, he stood up and offered me his hand. I accepted his offer, and then realized the second issue; thanks to the wonderful blisters on my feet, I couldn’t stand up. So I just sat there, voice too hoarse and broken to speak, awkwardly holding his hand until he connected the dots. “Any chance you can stand?” I shook my head in defeat. Meanwhile, Haku just stood there with a lazy grin on his face, although he still held worry in his eyes. In one fluid motion, I went from sitting on the floor to being carried in Haku’s arms, bridal style. “Hmph?!?” I exclaimed. Meanwhile, he just looks at me with the same smug smirk dancing on his lips. “Well, you can’t walk. Figured I’d help you out.” My brain short circuited at his words, so I just turned away to look anywhere but his face. After what seemed like an eternity, Haku finally set me down on a bench. “Do you have your phone?” Still not trusting of my voice, I shook my head in response. He stood silently for a bit, pondering his options. Finally, he pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and gave it to me. “Here. I’m going to go get you stuff from the campus store. If anything happens, just call Subaru, okay?” I nod once again, not wanting to cause him any trouble. He gave me a kind smile and patted me on the head. “Good girl. I’ll be back in a minute.” And so, he jogged off into the night, as I proceeded to lose any and all cognitive abilities.
Good girl? GOOD GIRL???? And THE HEADPAT? What does that mean. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. I need answers. Oh god I feel like I’m going to explode. Probably red as a tomato too. He can’t just do that and leave??? Oh no no no no. This entire time I still haven’t cleaned up my face. Oh god, someone save me from whatever this is. Or don’t. I DON’T KNOW. Confused and overheating, I sat there looking at the ground, too numb to do anything else. As I proceeded to contemplate everything I’d ever done, Haku crouched down and entered my field of vision with a small, reassuring smile on his face. In one hand, he held a bag from the campus store, and the heel I’d abandoned on the floor in the other. He quickly shifted his position to kneel on one knee and hovered his hands around my ankles. He looks up at me, his eyes filled with pure warmth. “Can I?” Still dazed from everything he’d said before, I pause for a bit before I dip my head in affirmation. His gaze lowered as his hands slowly lifted my bare foot to rest on his knee. The instant his skin made contact with mine, my breath hitched. He didn’t say anything, but the smirk on his lips told me everything I needed to know. Smug, pretty bastard. He pulled out a box of bandaids from the bag, opening the box in a way that was oddly attractive. He then took out a bandaid and carefully laid it over one of the blisters. Every time his hands brushed against my skin, the air filled with static and I felt like I was going to combust. Meanwhile, Haku continued putting bandaids on as if the situation was completely normal, only pausing slightly whenever my breath hitches. Finally, he finished treating my foot and picked up the heel that he’d placed on the ground. He slipped it back onto my foot in a way that was so warm, so loving that time seemed to stop. “...Princess? Hellooo, are you there?” I snapped back to reality to look at him. His hands were hovering around my other ankle, clearly asking for permission. I nodded once again, and he lifted my foot up and put it on his knee. He slipped the heel off and went back to applying bandages. Neither of us said anything, both of us lost in our own thoughts. In another world, maybe the scene would be different. Instead of a box of bandaids in his hands, he’d have a ring. The tears that prickled in my eyes wouldn’t be from sadness, but from joy as I’d shout “yes” loud enough for the whole world to hear. …But that’s not this world is it?
Finally, Haku finished treating my blisters and slipped the other heel on. He stood up, only to plop right down next to me on the bench. Haku took in a little breath, before finally speaking up. “...Are you okay?” Thousands of thoughts flooded through my head. No. I feel like I’m losing it, and it’s taking everything I have not to break down crying again. But I didn’t say that. Instead, I silently muttered, “I just… I don't feel like I’m enough here. I don’t even know if I’ll manage to break my curse. Every mission, I feel like I’m… useless.” The final word barely came out at all, a lump forming in my throat once more. Haku rested his hands on my shoulders and turned his body to face him. “I want you to listen to me princess, okay? You are enough. In fact, you’re more than enough. You’re perfect. Everyone here comes from different backgrounds and has different gifts. There’s no reason you should feel out of place. Never think that you’re not enough.” His words opened up my dam of tears, my sobbing echoing through the night once more. He held me again, his hands patting my back as he whispered affirmations into my ears. When I finally calmed down (again), Haku stood up and picked me up with no room for protest. “Haku~!” He simply laughed, joy shimmering in his eyes. “It’s late, and your feet will most definitely begin to hurt again if you try to walk. Just let me carry you.” That shut up my protests, his quick footsteps the only sound left in the night. As we travelled through the school, the streetlights guiding the way home and the sound of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears, I held onto Haku tightly as if that would make the moment last forever.