Stolen Night [Kaede, Sora]

Normally, she'd never believe those three words. But, being in Sora's arms, after watching him do something like that just to protect her...she believed it. How could she not? She just watched the guy beat up three people for gutter trash like her. With him, she felt...safe. That was why she'd run to him. Sure, he chewed her out a bit, but...he still came after her when she left.

Eventually, the sobbing calmed, turning to quick, sharp inhales as she kept herself pressed against his chest. The smell of brown sugar and cocoa butter certainly helped settle her down, too. Feeling him release a hand, she looked up at him, at first concerned that he was going to leave again...but, then he pulled his phone out, and she could faintly hear the emergency operator on the other end.

Her head lowered as he talked, pressing her cheek to his chest as he reported the situation. But, as she mentioned her, Kaede's head perked up. She looked to the side for a moment, contemplating, before shaking her head. The bruises would heal in time, and...she didn't want to go to the hospital anyway. Not like she could afford the bill, and she sure wasn't going to make Sora foot it.

"...Can we go back inside?" She asked in a low mumble.

"She ran off. I’m not sure where she went,” Sora said to the operator while nodding to Kaede. He figured the police might be too much for her, so he covered. He said the address of the building next to them, not his own building, and then closed the phone. He knew he was supposed to stay here, that was the law, but he wanted to get her inside. “Come on,” he said and gently nudged her back toward the street. As they reached the front door of his building, Sora could hear the sirens.

“The apartment is unlocked. Go inside, stay there… Lock the door. I will give my report to the police. If you stay, they'll take you in, so go.”

Kaede's eyes widened at the sudden lie, and she tilted her head to the side, her expression a mixture of scared and confused. But, before she got a chance to say anything, Sora ushered her back to the street and to the building. She could hear the sirens, and she looked at him, unsure of what to do. She told him what to do, and, at first, she stood there for a moment, before nodding and heading inside.

The moment she was past the threshold, she ran up the stairs to the third floor, practically throwing the door open and closed before she locked it. As she turned the latch, she kept her hands on the handle for a minute, before she eventually let go and took a few steps back. The sirens had gotten evidently closer, but, with how high up she was and the thickness of the walls, they were still muffled.

Kaede stared at the door handle, holding a strap of her backpack tightly as she watched it for the slightest movements. Eventually, she finally managed to tear herself away from it, walking to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of water, before making her way back to Sora's bedroom. She huddled herself into the corner, trying to be as quiet as she could about breaking the seal of the cap. It didn't make any sense to do it, but, she still did it nonetheless.

Taking short sips, she sat there, waiting, with her backpack sitting in her lap, and the bottle occasionally resting next to her or on top of it.

Sora really had to weigh his decision to send Kaede away, but she was flighty as it was. A forced hospital visit when they realize what was attempted here wouldn’t be good for someone like her; she didn’t need the panic attacks. With her shitty luck, they would probably put her in a psyche hold just to make sure she didn’t grab a bottle of pills and down the bunch. So, this was his decision.

It was a thirty minute wait for Kaede. The cops came, gathered up the unconscious men, and he gave his report. A check around confirmed there were no cameras in the alley or on this particular corner, thanks to some recent vandalism. When they mentioned the street cameras, Sora’s racing heart was able to calm. If he got caught lying to cops, his career would be over before it began.

With the cops finally gone, Sora’s hands were bandaged up and he was allowed to go home. He was asked to report the girl’s location if he ever saw her again, and he agreed to it, but that wouldn’t happen unless she wanted. Sora made his way upstairs and pulled out his keys to the apartment after checking that she locked it. Inside, he closed the door and locked it again, adding the latch.

“They’re gone,” he said, his low voice echoing into the silent apartment. “Kaede?”

Kaede sat in the silence for what felt like an eternity. By the time that she heard the doorknob being played with and eventually the sound of it turning and the door opening, she'd nearly finished the bottle. She didn't move until she heard Sora's voice, feeling that small spike of anxiety ease. Slowly, she got to her feet, holding her backpack defensively in front of her as she poked her head from around the corner. At first, she just let her eyes show, but eventually, she stepped out entirely.

"...I'm here. They're really gone? What'll happen to...them?"

Sora watched Kaede’s eyes poke out from his room and blinked. ‘Cute,’ he thought and gestured for her to come out before walking to the kitchen. He grabbed the beer he had left before, put it back in the fridge, and then looked around for something to eat. “They’ll be investigated, charged with multiple assault and battery charges, and be put in jail for a few years once found guilty,” Sora explained as he pulled out some leftover Chinese food and began plating it.

“Are you hungry? I can order. Never much here.”

The charges that the group would face, as well as the possibility of jail time comforted her a bit. She loosened the death grip she had on her backpack, letting out a soft sigh of relief. She walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it, still holding her pack close and keeping her face hidden behind it. As Sora took out some leftovers and asked if she was hungry, Kaede lowered the backpack, opening her mouth to deny it...

...but her stomach betrayed her, and she was quick to hide her reddening face, coiling around her backpack. Trying to lie about it would probably make him upset with her again, so...there wouldn't be much of a point. So, Kaede did genuinely try to think of what she could want. Upon figuring it out, she kept her face behind the backpack and looked to the side. Less out of embarrassment, more of uncertainty toward how reasonable it was.

"Can I get a milkshake? I'll eat whatever, but...I just want a milkshake."

Sora eyed that backpack of hers as he began putting the Chinese food back instead of plating the rest. She was always so stuck to it, so he was curious what was in it. And if he was ordering food, he was ordering for himself too. He picked up a couple of brochure like menus and walked out of the kitchen and to the couch. Sitting down, he handed her the menus, “Some do milkshakes. You choose.”

Sora pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and set it on the table in front of her. He then picked up his controller and jumped right back into playing video games.