── .✦ 𝕷𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚 ✦. ──
Warning: murder, attempt of sa, mention of throwing up, mention of drugging
-> misaki x reader
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏
Ronin
Angel
V
The stranger's shadow stretched across the floor, mocking you.
-Oh, little star! - he exclaimed, making you instinctively curl into yourself even tighter - Where are you? If you come out willingly, I won't hurt you… too much.
His voice rang uncomfortably in your head, bouncing from the left to the right.
-Come on. You've already caused enough trouble - he continued, more seriously this time - I'll count to three, and if you don't come to me by then, it will get ugly.
You swallowed hard, ignoring the taste of bile rising in your mouth.
-One…
With your back pressed against the cold wall of the kitchen island, you slowly began to inch your way towards the exit, hoping you'd be able to attack the stranger if push comes to shove.
-Two…
As you passed the lifeless body of one of the kidnappers, you felt a wave of nausea washing over you. You forced yourself to look away. Nothing would help him now anyway.
-Thr…
BANG.
A sudden loud noise forced you to double over. Your hands immediately grabbed the sides of your head in an attempt to stabilize yourself. You didn't hear the knife you'd been holding hit the floor. You couldn't hear anything but the unbearable shriek in your ears. You didn't fight as the urge to vomit wracked your entire body. You tried to support yourself, but your hand slipped painfully across the floor. If you had been able to think, you would have mentally prepared yourself for a hard landing on the concrete floor. Luckily, you didn't have to worry about that, because before your body made contact with the surface, someone managed to catch you.
-…ot yo… - a familiar male voice broke through the squeal. You tried to look up, but you couldn't as you got interrupted by yet another convulsion that shook you - Ah, shit.
He was saying something, but you couldn't understand a single word. You could barely hear it over the painful pounding in your head. Your throat was raw. You felt weak. You had no strength.
-Hey - you felt yourself being shaken. In normal circumstances, it would be considered a simple bump, but this time it made you choke on air - Don't drift away.
You nodded your head weakly, without conviction, unable to muster any words. But you quickly regretted it.
Too much, all at once.
The stranger gave you a moment to adjust to the situation, holding your shoulders. When he decided that you had somewhat settled down, he suddenly pulled you up, this time grabbing you by the waist to keep you from falling to the ground once again. Your insides felt like they were turning around and inside out, but before you could argue against (what you considered to be) unfair treatment, you heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and then you noticed that the light from the exit had been partially obscured.
-She’s here? - another familiar but breathless voice rang out.
-Yeah, yeah - the person holding you replied, and then pushed you away - Catch your other half.
You felt yourself colliding with the newcomer. You grabbed the stranger's clothes in an attempt to keep your balance, but you knew that if you weren't supported by them, you would instantly fall to the floor.
-It seems that you are once again falling for me - you heard a voice coming from above you - But for real. Are you alright? Is everything okay? Are all your fingers still in place?
You took a deep breath, instantly recognizing who was holding you.
-Misaki? - you whispered without looking up - Why are you asking about my fingers?
-If you didn't have fingers, it would be hard for me to hold your hand later - they replied, as if it was the most obvious thing. If you weren't exhausted, you might be bursting into laughter right now.
-Misaki, let's get out of here. Please - you muttered to her, and she immediately threw your arm over her neck.
-Yes. Let's go home - she replied. You could tell from their voice how stressed they were about the whole situation, but you could also undeniably feel how happy she was to have found you in one piece. You moved slowly, step by step. You felt like your hearing had returned to normal, or was simply less sensitive, but the light was still bothering you. You awkwardly shielded your eyes with your free hand, trying not to fall over.
-Who was here besides you? - you asked as a feeling of fresh air hit your face.
-Ronin - she replied quickly - He'll also take us to your apartment. Angel and V will be here soon too, to clean it up.
-What kind of deadly meeting is this? - you laughed sleepily, trying to focus on something to keep your attention. The adrenaline that was finally leaving you made you feel exhausted once again.
-Everyone was worried. We had to convince Vince that he didn't have to go out of his retirement. Luca and Feli were halfway through packing their bags - Misaki said, trying to keep your attention, which was more fluid than you'd like - Hang in there a little longer. You'll be able to rest soon.
The next distance you walked was accompanied by Misaki's chattering. It was getting harder and harder to understand and remember what she was saying, but the sound of her voice alone was enough for you. Because it was right next to you. Finally, you stopped in front of an unfamiliar car, and like a gentleman, Misaki held the door open for you to get in. Then they settled themselves next to you, positioning you so your head rested on their lap. One of her hands replaced yours, shielding your eyes, while the other played with your hair. Her fingers alternately ran through it and curled it around themselves.
-You're safe - they whispered, more to themselves than to you - Everything's okay. I got you.
You didn't even notice when you fell asleep. You didn't even feel like you were asleep. From your perspective, one moment you were lying in the backseat of the car, and the next you were on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Even though the room was shrouded in the darkness of the night, you immediately recognized where you were. You'd be surprised if you didn't recognize your own apartment. Everything was arranged exactly as you'd left it before you left. A white mug with the remains of your morning coffee, some chaotically scribbled notes. Even Misaki's manga series, which they'd brought when they moved into your apartment, was in a messy pile under the TV. Only the laptop's light, indicating that it was on, stood out against the dark room. The sight of it gave you a sense of déjà vu.
You lie still for a moment, listening to your surroundings. You recognized the sounds of cars driving past your window and the neighbors' conversations muffled by the walls. The hum of the refrigerator. The clicking of the clock on the wall. Misaki humming in the shower. Everything was so familiar.
Everything was yours.
Muscles you hadn't even realized existed were making themselves known. The earlier dizziness had subsided, but a hangover-like feeling still lingered. Slowly, you raised your aching body to a sitting position and stretched, and a moan of pleasure escaped you as your limbs finally got the movement they needed. The couch creaked when you finally decided to get up to take some painkillers. You fumbled for the medicine basket on one of the kitchen shelves and washed the pill down your throat with a glass of cold water. And then another. And the third one. You hadn't realized how thirsty you had been. Only when you felt you couldn't hold a single more drop did you decide to return to the living room and turn on the light. Being cautious, you only turned on the lamp in the corner so you wouldn't be blinded like before. You breathed a sigh of relief when the warm light that spilled into the room didn't irritate your eyes.
You leaned back into the seat, noticing that there was a dark towel on it. Misaki must have put it down to keep the couch from getting dirty, since you were wearing the same clothes as before. The blanket you were previously covered with, which had fallen to the floor, was one of those you rarely reached for, so staining it wouldn't bother you too much. You smiled slightly. You were home, safe, with the person you loved.
Your gaze drifted again to the laptop. The blank screen indicated that it had been on and unused for some time now. Using the moment before Misaki joins you, you reached out to turn it on and personally inform the server members that you were alive and kicking. Ronin or Misaki probably had already mentioned something, but you thought it would be better to inform them personally. Your finger swiped across the touchpad to bring the laptop back to life.
You found an open video on the screen.
You didn't remember watching any video, especially a downloaded one. It was signed with your name and the date. You should have closed it. You wanted to turn it off. But your curiosity got the better of you.
At first, the camera focused on the concrete floor, but then it was quickly lifted and focused on… a body. The same body you'd found behind the kitchen island. A chill ran down your spine, and you covered your mouth with your hand to stifle a shriek. The cameraman zoomed in on the wounds and the knife protruding from the body. Then the camera slowly moved to the corpse's face. Eyes wide with terror, blood pouring from his mouth. You wanted to look away, but something wouldn’t let you do that.
-Unbelievable - a male voice suddenly rang out from the speaker - Look what you've done. Do you think your friends will be proud of you?
The camera moved again, this time zooming in on another person's face. At first, you didn't recognize it because it was too close, but as it slowly moved back, you realized you were looking at yourself.
-Will your friends praise you? Or perhaps give up on you? - the voice continued, not stopping the camera even for a moment. You, on the recording, didn't react. Your eyes were slightly ajar, focused on something off-screen. You clearly weren't listening to what was being said, too absorbed in your own thoughts. The cameraman didn't like this.
-Hey! I'm talking to you! - he growled, grabbing your face with his free hand. He started to say something, but couldn’t, because you bit his hand. The cameraman screamed, trying to yank it away. The footage caught your face, filled with sudden rage, before the camera was snatched away. The footage was blurry for a few seconds as you both struggled, until the face of an unknown man suddenly appeared on the screen.
The cameraman's face.
The man was now lying on the ground, the camera moving rapidly towards, then away from his face, which was becoming increasingly more bloody. He tried to shield himself with his hands, but he couldn't. The camera repeatedly struck him, and the view became more and more blurry. Finally, the camera stopped moving. You would have thought the recording had stopped if it weren't for the sound of heavy breathing. A moment later, it moved once again, and the lens was wiped clean. The view remained blurry, likely due to a crack that must have occurred during the fight, but you recognized your own face again. You were filming your face from below, probably unaware of what you were doing. Your brows furrowed, trying to understand what you were looking at, but eventually you threw the camera away. It bounced off the wall, hit the floor, and spun so that it recorded sideways as you sat back down under the kitchen island, slowly falling asleep. Checking the recording showed that it continued for a long time, focused on your sleeping form, until the lights in the room went out. You swiped the bar to see the end of the recording and were hit with another sense of déjà vu. The door opening, the countdown, a gunshot, Ronin's voice, Misaki running. The recording of your rescue. After you were led out of the room, black studded boots approached the camera, and then it was raised.
-Found you - Ronin laughed, turning off the recording. You sat still, staring at the black screen. You tried to organize your thoughts, to explain it to yourself, but you were faced with an undeniable fact.
You killed someone.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and a freshly washed Misaki emerged from it. Still towel-drying her hair, they glanced around the room, not expecting to see the light on, until their gaze finally landed on the back of your head, peeking over the couch.
-Hey, you! You're finally awake - she said with relief in her voice - How are you feeling? Do you need some… - she stopped when she noticed how your whole body was shaking.
-I... - you whispered, trying to hold back the tears. Misaki ran to stand in front of you, cupping your face in her hands.
-What happened? Are you in pain? - they began examining you, looking for injuries - I didn't want to change your clothes without your knowledge. If I missed any wounds, tell me where they hurt, and I'll try to treat them as quickly as possible.
They started to get up to go get the first aid kit, but you grabbed her hand to stop her. It made them pause immediately, focusing all of her attention on you.
-What happened, Sunshine? - she asked, more quietly this time.
-I killed him - you said so quietly, you barely heard yourself. Misaki froze, uncertain.
-Did you dream of something? - she asked gently - Was it a nightmare?
You shook your head and released her hand to point at the laptop. Misaki took a moment to understand what you meant, but eventually, they looked behind them. She blocked the screen with her body, but you heard the undeniable sound of the beating you watched before.
-...I'll murder Ronin - Misaki muttered, quickly regaining her composure -Not literally! I meant... I just... fuck.
An awkward silence fell between you. Neither of you knew what to say. But it didn't last long. With Misaki, prolonged silence wasn't an option.
-We wanted to tell you - they began carefully - Not now. You've been through a lot, and we wanted you to at least get some rest first. But I swear, we wouldn't hide such a big secret from you - Misaki's hand found yours, and she squeezed it in reassurance - Ronin helped me carry you here from the car. He must have left the recording on purpose for you to find it. You know how he is...
-It didn't look very pleasant- you said quietly, looking back at the screen - I didn't think I was capable of beating someone up...
-You should have seen the other guy - she added with a laugh, freezing momentarily - I meant...
A giggle escaped you. Unexpected and desperate. It surprised not only Misaki but you as well. Why were you laughing? It wasn't funny. You shouldn't have been laughing. And yet, you continued to laugh. You laughed until the sound escaping you turned into sobs. Your whole body shook, and you kept choking on air, unable to breathe properly. Misaki immediately hugged you, in a frantic attempt to calm you down.
-Breathe... please breathe... - they whispered softly in your ear. Normally, in situations like this, you would only hear the chaotic beating of your heart, but this time, all you heard was the voice of the girl holding you in her arms. Like an anchor, you clung to it, trying not to fall apart.
-Am I… - you sobbed into her hoodie (which Misaki stole from your closet) - Am I a bad person?
-What? - you heard Misaki’s surprised voice, as they pulled away just enough to cup your face in her hands - They deserved it. Sunshine, you were kidnapped and drugged. They... they deserved an even worse fate. If I had been there sooner... - they didn't finish. She just hugged you again, burying her face in the nook of your neck - I was so worried...
You sat still again, using this moment to calm yourself. In her embrace, you felt safe. Your heartbeat was able to slow down. Taking an example from Misaki, your breathing tried to match hers.
It was not your fault.
There was no other way.
You had to do it.
-What now? - you asked, much calmer this time.
-Now, you have to wash up - Misaki sighed, with a smile on her lips - And since I don't intend to let you out of my sight, unfortunately, we have to do it together.
-Oh, what a tragedy - you laughed lightly. It wasn't perfect. You still needed time to accept what you'd done. But with Misaki holding your hand, you felt like you could handle anything, no matter what happened.
