THREE – He's Always There
"Miss, can you open the door for me?" Obi called from outside her bedroom. He held a tray that sat her breakfast, steaming hot and freshly made just for her. A cheesy omelet with fresh beef cooked under it, beside a few pieces of toast with a tomato spread, as well as a sweet banana chocolate muffin with a side of pomegranate juice. "My hands are a bit occupied."
Quickly, he felt footsteps come close to the door after his words. Watching it opened, Obi was introduced to a wet-haired Shirayuki. The pungent smell of roses came from it, likely the perfume she wears after she showers. Droplets of water streamed down her hair as he looked down at his flushed Miss. He was a little happy seeing that Shirayuki at least got out of the bed to do what she must.
"That smells amazing," Shirayuki said softly, watching as Obi comes into her bedroom and places it on her own, small table. Obi straightened up and watched as Shirayuki was fixing her bed. As she did, Obi noticed something very intruging. His Miss still had his scarf still draped around her neck. Surely, it was getting small droplets of water from her hair, but it was nonetheless still alive and keeping her warm.
"I hope it tastes amazing for you, Miss," Obi said politely, pulling out the chair to offer her a seat. Shirayuki gave him a sweet smile, one that put his heart at a halt, as she gently placed herself on the seat. He pushed her in and moved away, looking at how she grabbed the napkin of the tray and placed it on her lap. She then picked up the fork and took a small bite of the omelet.
"This is amazing!" Shirayuki praised quietly as she began to dig in faster. Obi chuckled, feeling a wild amount of satisfaction from seeing her eat with some haste. Although, her face looks worse than before. She seemed a bit more pink and bloated than earlier. Probably shed a few in the shower, Obi thought. But he was ultimately happy that she's filling up that empty stomach of hers.
"I shall leave you to your breakfast, Miss," Obi began, giving her a small bow before taking his leave. "I'll wait for you outside, if you'd like."
"O-Oh!" Shirayuki paused, putting her fork down as she looked at the back of her body guard. "You can stay in here, Obi. I mean, I'd like it if you stayed…" She was always so forward with her words, even if the execution was a little shaky. She wanted Obi around for the sake that she feels a sense of comfort by his presence. He's been nothing but sweet, even if she appeared to be a nuisance from her kidnaps or traumatizing from her sudden influx of emotion.
"A-Are you sure, Mistress?" Obi asked in genuine curiosity, turning around to face the girl with the garish hair. Shirayuki gave him a big nod and gestured him over to the other chair at the table. Giving her a small smile, he joins her at the table and begins to twiddle his thumbs. But he was then distracted by a sudden fork of food being held in front of him. "Miss?"
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Shirayuki asked, offering him a fairly big bite of her food as he looked down at it intimidatingly.
"I mean, I ate a small bun of bread that one of the chefs offered to me," Obi admits. "But that was really it."
"Alright then, open wide!" Shirayuki began, mocking him like a child as she wiggled the fork at him. Obi couldn't help but roll his eyes at her silliness. But it felt endearing to see her show a bit of happiness. "I don't hear you 'ah'ing!"
"Ahh," Obi reluctantly hummed, his mouth open to suddenly feel the cool metal on his tongue and the heat of the food dancing on the hood of his mouth. He closed his lips around the fork, having Shirayuki slip it out as Obi kept the food. He chewed politely, looking at Shirayuki watch him with a cute smile. He couldn't help but flush as those emerald eyes stared at him. They were much brighter than last night. "It tastes amazing, thank you."
"Um, hey, Obi..?" Shirayuki began, much quieter than before. She brings up the napkin to dab her lips clean before returning it to her lap. "I was wondering if I could ask for a favor?"
"You can ask for anything, Miss," Obi said immediately.
"Would you mind staying around me?" Shirayuki said firmly. "I know you haven't had much freedom as you've been supporting me through all of this but… do you mind just staying around? Like, you can relax in a tree like you always do right outside the medicine wing?" She placed her hands nervously on the table, feeling like it was much to ask of him. "I'm sorry if it seems too much, I—"
Suddenly, Obi placed his hand over hers, feeling her smooth skin beneath his rough, calloused fingers. Shirayuki held her breath, looking over at her guard, who was flashing her one of his softest smiles. He quickly took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"It's never too much if it's for you, Miss." Obi quickly let her go as he stood up and went for the door. "I'll wait for you outside so we can go and see Ryu." With that, the raven-haired boy escaped the room, leaving Shirayuki alone, in silence, with a smile.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Ryu!" Shirayuki panted, leaning against the door way as she looked down at the young boy on the ground. He was scribbling down more notes on large construction paper. There was a series of plants drawn, with arrows pointing to small annotations. He looked up, his blue eyes marbling at the red-haired beauty before him. A small smile grew on his lips.
"It's okay, Shirayuki," the raspy voice owned by the boy mumbled. But he was suddenly taken aback to actually see her.
Her eyes were pink and puffy, knowing for a fact that tears have been escaping them. It looks like she had little to no sleep with the gray smeared below her eyes. That gentle smile of hers had a bit of a chill to it, having Ryu's smile falter.
"Shirayuki," Ryu said quietly. "What happened?"