Author's Note: Here's another one! Enjoy!
There were a lot of words to describe Suigetsu.
Arrogant. Brash. Hot-headed. Reckless. Thick-skulled. Loud-Mouthed. Competitive. Stubborn. Prideful. Impulsive.
Idiot!
The word echoed off the walls of your bathroom and your mind as you mentally added another word to your list. The word had been practically thrown from your lips as you stood in front of Suigetsu, hands balled into fists. You were as angry as you were surprised it had taken this long to add 'idiot' to the list. See, the thing about Suigetsu was he was stupid, but he wasn't an idiot. You had known him for nearly five years and never had that word made it onto your list. Until today. It all started with a message from Sasuke around half an hour ago that read: "You'd better get over here fast. It's Suigetsu. Address is 178 Cherrywood Street. We're in the back alley." Without thinking, you had gotten into your car and drove as fast as was legally possible to the given address.
You had thanked Sasuke and practically thrown Suigetsu into your car without a word. The ride to your home had been a silent one, and the tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. Herding him into your apartment was effortless; he obeyed every order you gave him, never meeting your eyes. You would make the joke that he always looked shitty. That his fashion choices were questionable and that with the way he dressed, it wasn't too late for him to forget about his marine biology degree and join the circus.
When you shoved him down onto your toilet seat and angrily spat that he looked like shit as you knelt down to search through your cupboards for your first aid kit, your words were no joke. He was covered it dirt and blood, clothes soaked through from the rain. The only sound you had gotten from him was when first touched the alcohol swab to his face. His skin could have passed as an abstract painting of blues and purples with how bruised he was, and a nasty looking gash cut across his left browbone from his forehead to just under his eye. It had been a stormy afternoon, but the weather outside was no rival to your current mood as you ranted under your breath about how stupid Suigetsu was for always running his mouth and picking fights with the wrong people. Eventually, his silent façade splintered, and he cracked.
"I did it for you!" He snapped. You froze mid wipe, hand stilling as you glanced up at the white-haired man. Rising up onto your knees until you were level with him, you stared him dead in the eyes.
"What?" You asked, voice dangerously quiet. Suigetsu huffed, crossing his arms against his chest and raising his chin to avoid your glare.
"You heard me."
"Suigetsu Hozuki." You said, enunciating every syllable of his name, "Tell me what the hell you're talking about or so help me-"
"Daisuke." The name was spoken like it was poison. "He and his friends were talking shit about you. I was gonna teach him a lesson but that dickbag is a cheater. 'Course he wouldn't fight fair." Daisuke Hanahashi was a star soccer player at your university and had been your ex-boyfriend for over a year now. You had ended the relationship after finding out that not only had he been cheating on you for over three months, but he had been having affairs with multiple different people. You had blocked him on all forms of your social media, and you hadn't talked to him since. Sure, your friends would occasionally notify you when Daisuke was talking shit, but it had never been anything of major concern.
"So, what, you run your mouth all the time." You said harshly, tongue still sharp with anger.
"I run my mouth sure, but I don't tell fucking lies, _." Suigetsu said, dropping his chin to return your glare, expression now thunderous. "That sonuvabitch was out here talking shit about you behind your back, spewing lies about what happened when you broke up." He paused. "Motherfucker twisted the story. He's got the whole soccer team and cheerleading squad on his side with his victim act. It's bullshit." Suigetsu's voice was rising now. "Said you were a two-faced whore that would never make it anywhere in life because you use your head to get your grades-and he definitely wasn't talking about your intellectual abilities."
You were speechless. Not once had you heard of such a thing from anyone in your friend group. Not a peep from Karin. Nothing from Sasuke. Barely a word from Jugo.
"I told you this after our three-year anniversary of friendship," He continued, voice stern. "If anyone, anyone, hurts you, they answer to me." He glanced at you once more before turning his head away to stare at your shower curtain.
Slowly, you stood up, tossing the alcoholic swab into the garbage. You stared at Suigetsu for a long while, brow furrowing from the flurry of emotions that had begun to rise inside you. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Finally, with hands curling into fists at your side, you spoke.
"Idiot!"
The word echoed off the walls of your bathroom and your mind. You bit your lip, eyes stinging as you stared at the white-haired man with the bruised face and bloodied knuckles sitting on your toilet. In that instant, for the first time since you had hauled him back to your apartment, Suigetsu looked ashamed.
"Listen, _, I'm sorry-"
"I didn't ask for you to protect me!" You spoke. I'm not yours to protect. You were crying now, fat tears rolling down your cheeks. Suigetsu looked torn, expression conflicted. His hands fell away from his chest, and he hesitantly reached forward before closing his hand to a fist and letting it fall. You sniffed and rubbed at your eyes angrily. You hated crying when you were upset.
"I know." Suigetsu said, voice soft. I love you. After a beat of silence, he stood up and closed the gap between you, pulling you into his arms and holding you against his chest. You hid your face, crying into his shirt. He stood there silently, one arm stroking up and down your back. After a few minutes you managed to calm down, gratefully taking the tissues he offered. After blowing your nose, you did your best to glare at the young man, though you guessed your puffy eyes and red nose were by no means intimidating.
"You're an idiot." You repeated in the angriest voice you could muster. Suigetsu opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get anything out, you grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged him down to press your lips together. Suigetsu froze and his stillness only made you kiss him harder until he reacted and kissed back. You released him a beat later, face hot, nose stuffed, and eyes watery.
Having come back to his senses, Suigetsu smirked. He flicked your forehead, grin toothy as he echoed your words from before. "You look like shit."
You snorted, reaching for more tissues so you could try to clear your nose. Hiding your smile behind the tissues you shot back. "Idiot."
There were a lot of words to describe Suigetsu.
Caring. Thoughtful. Kind. Protective. Loyal. Brave. Honest. Charming. Funny. Intelligent.
And yes, idiot was one.
End of Chapter 9
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! See you in the next one! Bye!
