Awwww! I love protective Kise! Slight trigger warning for the subject manner of bullying. – Admin Jade
“You know he’s dating you out of pity, right?”
“That or he lost a bet! Ooooo, I bet that’s it!”
“You bet that’s it? How lame of joke is that?”
“Not as lame as ____-chan thinking someone as gorgeous and talented as Kise-kun could ever have real feelings for her. It’s so sad it’s funny.”
The girls giggled, a cruel, mirthless sound. Their eyes bore down on her and she shrunk farther against the wall, wishing for the ground to open and swallow her up. How could people think this was ok? That they had any right to comment on something they knew nothing about? But she was weak, too weak to stand up for herself or Kise. She knew dating the popular model turned basketball prodigy would be challenging, but the taunts had grown more vicious and despite knowing better, seeds of doubt were beginning to take root.
Maybe they saw something she didn’t. After all, these girls ran in the same circle as Kise, at least before he started playing basketball. But now they were regulated to the literal sidelines watching the ace, the “golden boy” of Kaijo.
And they hated her for standing beside him.
That alone should have been enough to give her the strength to disbelieve their venomous insults, their never-ending torment but it didn’t; slowly but surely she was beginning to question Kise’s motivation to be with her. Despite her fervent efforts, she could feel tears welling up then sliding down her cheeks, her face flushing hotly in embarrassment and shame.
“Oh, you gonna cry now?” one of them cooed.
“So pathetic,” another snapped, hand reaching down to grasp a handful of her hair. She cried out at the firm tug but a moment later felt an imposing presence of an entirely different variety standing next to her. Cracking open her eyes she inhaled sharply at the expression on Kise’s face as he gripped the wrist of the girl holding her.
“I suggest you release, ____-cchi, before something bad happens,” he said lowly.
The girl, now shaking in her shoes, did as told, taking a step back to fall in line with her fellow gossip mongers.
Gently, Kise slid his arm around his girlfriend’s waist, tugging her close and she couldn’t help burying her face against his chest, inhaling his spicy scent.
“It’s ok, I’ve got you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. Then, turning his gaze back to her abusers, his eyes narrowed, a more fearsome expression present than any he’d held on the court.
“You think you know me so well, do you?” he said, tone surprisingly even. “You have no fucking clue!”
They gasped, backing away again as he tucked the girl in his arms between himself and the wall, shielding her though the immediate danger was gone.
“If I so much as hear one more word from you about her, to her, about me, or to me, you will regret it!” He stepped forward, leaning down to their height to make eye contact with each one. “Trust me, I have many ways of ruining your lives. So if you want the next two years to be in any way enjoyable, I suggest you take this as your last warning. Stay away from her,” he pointed backwards, “and keep your ugly mouths shut!”
Nodding rapidly, the trio scurried away, not able to hide tears of their own.
Kise waited until they were out of sight then turned back to the girl still cowered against the wall. Slowly he turned her to face him, tilting her chin up, frowning at her still closed eyes. “_____-cchi, look at me,” he insisted firmly but there was a sweetness in his tone.
She did as told, blinking to try to dispel the tears still hanging on her lashes. He took care of them with the soft pads of his thumbs, whispering, “Don’t believe anything those bitches said. Or any others I don’t know about…yet.” His tone slipped into darkness, his aura threatening once more and she almost shrank away, but his arm held fast around her back, pulling her closer to his body. Leaning down, he brushed a gentle kiss to her lips. “I love you, ______.” His lips pressed to hers again, a bit firmer, more insistent and she couldn’t keep a sigh from escaping. Pulling back, he smiled, a true, warmth and love-filled smile so beautiful she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, flinging her arms about his waist.
He stroked her hair, murmuring words of affection and understanding, letting her cry it out. When her sobs turned to sniffles he gently pulled back to look at her face. “Come on, let’s go get some ice cream.” And taking her hand, he lead her towards the front gates, babbling away about practice and all the great things he’d done and how Kasamatsu-senpai didn’t properly appreciate him. Despite all that had happened, she smiled, squeezing his hand in silent thanks for his protection…and his love.