Stand by You
(this is my first time posting here so bear with me huhu)
Ever since Koby joined the Marines, his world had narrowed down to two things: his duty and her.
[Reader] had been there from the start—not looking down on him from her higher rank, but reaching out a hand to pull him up. While others saw a scrawny kid with too much heart, she saw a soldier. That gaze alone was enough to make him push his body until it screamed, desperate to become someone worthy of standing in her shadow.
The noon sun was a relentless weight. Koby lay flat on his back, lungs burning, staring up at a sky so blue it hurt. Beside him, Helmeppo was a mess of sweat and complaints.
“Hey, let’s go eat,” Helmeppo grunted, sitting up and squinting at his friend.
Koby shook his head, his throat too dry for many words. He forced himself upright, dragging his leaden limbs toward the punching dummy. “I still have to train.”
Helmeppo shrugged, muttering something about "gluttons for punishment" as he headed off to freshen up. Koby didn't watch him go. He only saw the worn leather of the dummy and the goal in his mind.
Hours bled into the afternoon. Koby’s vision blurred at the edges. One more. Just one more. But as he pivoted for a strike, his legs turned to water. The ground rushed up to meet him—until a pair of steady arms caught him mid-air.
“Woah there, soldier.”
Koby froze. That voice. He looked up to see [Reader] looking down at him with a gentle, lopsided smile. Heat that had nothing to do with the sun rushed to his face; he was acutely aware that he was currently topless and trembling in her arms.
“[Reader]! S-sorry—you don’t have to—I’m quite fine!” Koby stammered, scrambling to sit up on his own, though his pride was the only thing keeping him upright.
“Doesn't look like it,” she countered, her eyes scanning the desolate training yard. Her expression shifted from amused to stern. “You haven't eaten, have you?”
“It’s alright, I just need to—”
Thwack. She gave the top of his head a light, reprimanding swat.
“Idiot! You’ve been here since dawn. Helmeppo finished lunch hours ago and you’re still punishing yourself?” She reached out and gave his ear a firm, playful tug.
“Ow! Ow! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Koby yelped, gently prying her hand away. As she let go, he rubbed his reddened ear, a shy, sheepish grin tugging at his lips.
“Here, eat this.” She held out a bento box, the wood still warm. “I made it. It’s nutritious, so don't you dare argue. It’ll give you the strength you’re so obsessed with finding.”
Koby took the box like it was made of glass. “T-thank you... but you shouldn't have—”
“Koby, I swear,” she warned, and he quickly opened the lid to avoid another swat.
He began to eat, the flavors grounding him instantly. “You made this, [Reader]?”
“Yeah... is it too salty?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave. For all her confidence as a superior officer, she looked suddenly nervous.
“It’s delicious!” Koby beamed at her, his heart hammering against his ribs. But as he reached for another bite, her eyes snagged on his hands. His knuckles were raw, laced with open wounds where the skin had split against the heavy bags.
“You idiot,” she murmured, her voice losing its edge and turning into something soft—something that made Koby’s breath hitch.
She sat down directly in front of him, close enough that he could smell the faint scent of sea salt and her perfume. Before he could protest, she reached into her bag, pulled out a first-aid kit, and took his bruised hand in hers.
“You have to take care of yourself, Koby,” she said softly.
He didn't hear her. Not really. He was too busy memorizing the way her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, and the focused, tender way she cleaned his wounds. The world around them—the drills, the ships, the war—faded into a dull hum. There was only the cool touch of her fingers and the overwhelming urge to be the kind of man who could protect a heart as kind as hers.
“Koby!”
“Huh—what?” He snapped back to reality, blinking rapidly.
She sighed, pinning him with a look. “Are you even listening? I asked why. Why are you pushing yourself this hard? Helmeppo is training just as much, but he knows when to stop.”
She didn't let go of his hand. She waited, her eyes searching his, making him feel completely exposed. Koby looked down at the white bandages wrapping around his knuckles, his voice barely a whisper.
“I want to prove that I’m worth saving. That I’m worth protecting someone.”
“You already proved yourself to Garp,” she reminded him gently. “You don’t have to keep proving it to the world.”
“I do,” he blurted out, the honesty slipping past his defenses before he could stop it. “Because I want to stand beside you.”
The silence that followed was heavy. [Reader] froze, her breath catching in her throat. Koby’s internal monologue was a screaming mess of 'Fucking shit, I said it! How do I fix this? There’s no taking that back!'
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to look up and meet her gaze. “You’re someone I care about, [Reader]. I want to be more than just a kid you have to look out for. I want to be someone capable of protecting you.”