It had been a few days since Seven had last seen her.
She had texted him she wasn't going to make it to their weekly Friday movie date, and that was the last time Seven had heard from her. Now that doesn't mean Seven hadn't contacted her. He had. He had texted her, called her. He had contemplated hacking into her phone or laptop, just to check up on her. But he also knew how much she hated it when he did that, so he decided that he'd rather deal with his anxiety than her wrath.
But it was now Monday and he still had yet to receive a single text and Seven was getting more and more worried.
That was what brought him here, trying to hide himself behind the steering wheel of his precious baby. He was parked a little ways away from her place - far enough she wouldn't be able to see the gleam of the red car under the spring sun, close enough he could see the windows were slightly opened. Close enough to see light blue curtains dancing in the wind.
Seven took a few deep breaths, his palms felt sweaty, he felt his heartbeat echo in his ears but he had to do this. And how he hated this. How he hated having to confront her like this.
Seven slapped his cheeks twice and then again for good measure. "This is nothing to the Defender of Justice," he mumbled, biting his tongue as he repeated the statement to himself under his breath as he exited the car.
He rested his hands against the door of his car, ready to turn back. He didn't even know how he was going to approach her. Would she believe him if he said he 'just happened' to be in the area? He shook his head, no his sunshine knew better. The moment he would start with coincidences she would cross her arms and frown.
Seven's heart raced at the thought of her frowning at him, the way she would tilt her head at him and scold him slightly.
"Seven, you know better than to lie to me." would be what she'd say and he nodded to himself. He knew better than to lie to her.
Seven ran a hand through his hair, worrying his lip between his teeth. He had no choice to be honest and tell her he was worried. He was worried and that's why he decided to check up on her.
There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
Seven crossed the road, head held high and walked up to the door. He took a deep breath, reminded himself how important his sunshine was and rang the doorbell with confidence.
And then he waited.
Seconds turned to minutes and Seven did not see the house come to alive in the slightest.
"Is she out?" Seven wondered out loud, scratching his neck as he glanced through the side window of the door.
"I'll just have to come back soon." He nibbled on his bottom lip like it was the last Honey Buddha Chip on earth, his hands digging into the pockets of his hoodie.
His teeth tore the skin when he realised his honey was walking up to the house a grocery bag in each hand.
And with slight limp.
Seven's mind went into overdrive. Why was she limping? Did she fall? Did something happen? Was it him?
Why hadn't she said anything? Why was she always trying to shoulder everything by herself?
"Oh Seven?"
Seven tried his best to smile but he realised his attempt was shaky at best because his honey's eyes softened with a tinge of guilt.
"H-Hey honey!" Seven waved a little awkwardly, "Need some help?"
His honey glanced at the bags and nodded gratefully. "You truly are my Defender of Justice, aren't you?" She laughed silently, her eyes sparkling.
Seven nearly tripped over himself as he ran the distance to take both bags off his honey's hands.
"Will you be alright the rest of the distance?"
"Yeah, no problem! I'm stronger than I look Seven!" His honey gave him a playful punch against his shoulder as if to prove her point.
Seven smiled softly at her, making her blush.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him, suddenly bashful.
They had arrived at her front door and she was fumbling with her keys to unlock the door.
"I missed your voice."
His honey dropped her keys as a bright shade of red covered her cheeks and spread to the tips of her ears.
She wasn't the only one flustered. Seven felt himself take on the shade of his hair as the words slipped past his lips so easily. He sputtered a bit, not wanting to belittle the meaning of what he had said because it was the truth, he had missed her voice. But he had also not wanted to drop the message on her so suddenly.
"I'm sorry."
Seven stopped his stuttering to look at his honey who sported a sad smile. "I should've said something."
She reached down to pick up the fallen keys and, as she kept her back turned to him, added, "You must've been worried."
Seven nodded, "I was worried. I know you need your distance sometimes, but usually you'd tell me. It's scary when you suddenly disappear from my life without saying anything."
Seven saw her shoulders slump under the guilt, so he quickly added, "But it's also my fault. I didn't really check up on you well enough."
His honey's hands were shaking slightly as she turned the key and opened the door.
"Come on in," she said as she lead the way.
Seven watched her limp inside, the struggle growing more pronounced with every step she took. Seven briefly wondered if he should talk to her about it. But was this the right time? Wasn't it too soon?
The journey to the kitchen seemed endless as his mind was searching for a solution.
What would be a good way to bring it up? Would she be upset if I just outright asked her? Does she want to bring it up herself? Was it him? And if it was, would she even wanna talk about it?
"Seven, honey, you're staring off into space." His honey had snuck up behind him, her hands resting on his shoulders.
Seven realised he had been staring at nothing after he had put the bags on her kitchen counter. He felt himself grow embarrassed and wished he had thought this through better.
"Ah, I'm sorry," Seven mumbled the apology as he felt his honey rest her head against his back.
Seven took the opportunity to look across the counter into the living room. It seemed clean enough, he observed. No books scattered over the floor, no empty cups or half empty cups of tea.
It seemed a little too clean, Seven concluded. As if guests had been over. Seven sighed, they must've come by. It may even had just been him.
But why did she not tell me?
Seven bit his lip and berated himself internally. Why are you the one feeling hurt? She's dealing with so much more. Support her Seven or you may lose her. Pay more attention, talk to her more, do everything you can-
"Seven?"
Seven was pulled himself away from the rabbit hole his mind created when his honey's voice pierced the tense air around them.
"Yes honey?" He took a small moment to pride himself on the steadiness of his voice, "What's wrong?"
"You seem out of it. Are you alright?" Her voice seemed small, muffled against his back.
Seven nodded, "Can I turn around?"
He waited patiently until he felt her nod and turned around suddenly. He used the seconds he caught her off guard to pull her into his embrace. He hugged her close, his grip tight as if she may slip away from him any second.
"What's gotten into you?" his honey asked as she wrapped her arms around him, returning the embrace. The lighthearted tone of her voice did not match her tight grip, the way her finger dug into the fabric of his hoodie, the slight shake of her shoulders.
Seven said nothing as he rubbed her back. He tried to pour his feelings into the hug, one hand moved to her hair, running his fingers through the locks gently. He felt her sigh against him, and he imagined she closed her eyes as she leaned in to the touch.
"Seven, what's wrong?" she whispered, "Why are you here?"
Seven took a deep breath and whispered, "Because I was worried."
He held her against him tightly, his hand dropping from her hair and started swaying her lightly. "I worry sick over you every single day. Whether I hold you or if you're not with me, you're always on my mind so naturally I worry."
She moved away to look at his eyes as he spoke. "Why?"
"Because I love you."
Seven hadn't meant to say it so casually. He hadn't expected her eyes to widen like that, he hadn't expected that look of shock.
"Because I love you," he repeated himself, cupping his honey's face in his hands softly.
"I love you," he said it again, for added emphasis and nuzzled his nose against hers.
Tears welled up in his sunshine's eyes, a light sniffle before her body trembled and she let out a sob.
"I'm sorry." She tried to laugh as she moved away from Seven, hands brushing away the tears that fell without stop. "I shouldn't cry, when you- when you-" the sobs interrupted her speech and she just looked at Seven, red eyes and all.
"You were being so," she stopped as she sniffled, "you sounded so, so.. genuine."
Seven's eyes widened, the sight of his honey breaking his heart. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Not that he had the right words to begin with. No words would be able to express the love he felt for her. No words to express the pain he felt when he saw her in pain.
So Seven did what he did best; he opened his arms and when she threw herself against him, he hugged her with all his might.
"Never forget, I love you. Always," Seven whispered, his nose nuzzling against his honey's neck. He felt her tremble and let her cry, the faint warmth of her tears soaking his sleeve.
They stayed in locked embrace in her little kitchen for what felt to Seven like ages, but he knew to only have been seconds.
The only noises were that of the wind brushing against the curtains, his sunshine's hiccups and sobs, and Seven's muted voice, filling the little space between them with whispers of love and reassurance.
"I love you Seven." Her voice was hoarse as she pulled away. She grabbed his face between her trembling fingers, her eyes determined despite the gloss of the tears. "I love you. You're the best thing to have ever happened to me."
Seven shook his head slightly, "Don't steal my lines here, my precious 606."
Seven was certain she was blushing but it was hard to tell in the aftermath of her tear streaked face.
"Do you wanna tell me what happened?" Seven asked as he led her to the couch, one arm around her waist and her own arm across his shoulders. "Talk to me baby, please?"
She shook her head as Seven helped her get seated. "I don't wanna say it out loud."
Seven nodded with understanding. "That's fine too. I just wanna say that I don't want you going back to his place anymore."
"He's still my father Seven, it's not that easy."
Seven nodded, his hands treading through his sweetheart's hair. "I know, I know. We'll figure it out."
His honey sighed, leaning in to the touch. "He was angry, he needed someone to vent his frustration on."
"Is that why you're limping?"
"Yeah, I was the only one who didn't get away soon enough."
Seven's fist tightened, his knuckles turning white as he gritted his teeth. "That -
"Seven, please." His honey placed a hand on his cheek and shook her head. "You don't have to get so worked up for me."
Seven sighed deeply. "I don't want to see you in pain." He whispered, powerlessness pressing down on him like someone placed a rock on his chest. Nothing hurt him more than knowing he couldn't do anything to help out.
"I know." She smiled and Seven felt his heart break. The smile that lit up his world seemed so hollow and he wanted to curse the man responsible for this.
"Move in with me." Seven persevered through his sunshine's confused looks. "I mean it. Move in with me."
"But-
"No, please." Seven moved closer to her, his hands reaching for hers. "Move in with me. You'd never have to go back to him. I mean, he knows where to find you here. The idea of you living in this secret location was that he wouldn't come over anymore. Please, I just don't want you to get hurt again."
His honey closed her eyes and rested her head back. "But what if he comes after you?"
Seven puffed his chest out, "I'd like to see him try! I'm the mighty Seven Zero Seven, Defender of Justice!"
It wasn't arrogance that fueled Seven's outburst. It wasn't the wish to see his honey smile. It was pure conviction.
Seven squeezed his honey's hands tightly. He didn't care if the whole world crashed down, he wasn't going to be the Defender of Justice if it meant he couldn't protect her.
After she recovered from the shock, his sunshine giggled softly. Seven's heart soared when he noticed the healthy blush adoring her cheeks.
Seven reached to cup her face as she started smiling.
"Okay then. I'll move in with you."
Seven nearly started crying himself, leaning forward to press his lips against hers. He felt her relax under his touch, the taste of salt still on her lips.
"But," she said as soon as he pulled away, "when he calls me over, you'll have to let me go. I can't just cut him out of my life entirely. It'll cause too much trouble at this point."
Seven frowned. He didn't want her back at his place, ever. That was final. But he took one look at her determined expression and sighed. He knew he had to compromise, he didn't want a repeat of the past weekend where he wouldn't know what was happening.
"Okay, then." He reached forward to press another kiss on her lips, catching a glimpse of new tears and he wanted to replace them into laughter.
Seven pressed down harder, their position on the couch shifting. With the position change came a shift in atmosphere and Seven felt a blush creep up his face. He hid his face in the crook of her neck, noticing the sharp breath his honey took.
"Honey, you need to tell me to stop." He murmured against the skin of her neck, pressing butterfly kisses down her neck.
"Who said anything about stopping?"
Seven leaned back up and the flushed face of his honey made his tummy flip and his heart do cartwheels.
"You're a dangerous woman," he growled, grinning mischievously.
His sunshine mimicked the grin, making Seven forget how much he loves air in his lungs. "You're one to talk." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him if only she tilted her head, "You're one to talk, my dearest boyfriend."
Seven's mind flushed when she did tilt her head, pressing their lips together in a kiss that was anything but innocent.
This wasn't the victory Seven had anticipated. It wasn't a complete solution to the problem either, but Seven had to be realistic. He had never expected she would move in with him. He honestly didn't even know what he had expected, but she was going to be safer with him. Happier with him.
Seven was certain of it.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this one, please do check out "It's Okay Not to be Okay" and "Bed Days". This is a loosely inspired third part in the series!
Have a nice day!