hey look, it's this thing from two years ago!
i'm not sure when i decided this was worth continuing, but i actually have ~ideas~ for it! this is another insomnia-driven bit of fic from me, so i hope this part isn't too awful wrt grammar and such. i also think the weakest aspect of my writing is dialogue (and shoujo clichés) and this is full of it. :/ hope you enjoy regardless.

linger | part two
heine/naoto.
safe
word count 1100+

The cold winter wind rushed through the door of Liza's shop, while the tiny bell above it chimed. Heine, seated in the booth closest, pulled the collar of his coat tighter as he felt the chill. He didn't bother glancing at the entrance, as he was just there to spend some time with Nill. The young girl was working part-time at the shop lately, both learning to sew and acting as a live model.

"Naoto! It's been a while, dear!"

Heine looked up in surprise when he heard Liza's greeting. Indeed it was Naoto standing at the entrance. Nill immediately sprang from her seat across from Heine and nearly tackled the woman in a hug.

It had been a while since Heine had seen her, too. She'd apparently been keeping to herself lately, only visiting the church when there was important business or to visit Nill. He more than often found himself wondering why this was the case, since he had almost gotten used to her shadowing him around the city.

"Hi, Nill. I missed you too." Naoto smiled as she returned the girl's hug. Heine rolled his eyes at the display of affection, purely out of habit.

The dark-haired woman then looked up, and briefly met his gaze. Heine prepared himself for a condescending scowl or quip, but what he got was... nothing. She immediately focused her attention on Granny Liza, ignoring the split-second eye contact completely. Instead, she asked Granny about a new dress.

Heine didn't pay attention to their conversation; he was slightly taken aback by her lack of response to his presence. He remained silent, yet continued to stare at the woman in confusion. What was going on with her lately? More importantly, he suddenly realized, why did he care?

Naoto's visit to the shop continued as normal. Granny forced Heine out the door as she prepared to play dress-up, and he was forced to wait in the cold for them to finish. He contemplated just leaving altogether, maybe to get a cup of coffee or even go home, but (due to laziness, curiosity, or whatever else) ended up staying outside until it was safe to come back in.

When Liza finally invited him back, Heine was again completely ignored by Naoto, despite being asked for his opinion of the dress.

"Yeah, it looks fine." He replied unenthusiastically. He didn't bother even looking at the outfit. His eyes were focused on Naoto's face, waiting for her to look back at him and say something. However, it didn't happen. She continued to avoid his gaze entirely as she thanked Liza for her trouble and made her way to the door.

"Sorry I have to leave so soon. I have... something to take care of." Naoto brushed past him abruptly, and in a moment's notice was out the door.

Granny Liza shook her head and clicked her tongue. "That poor girl... she's pushing herself too hard."

"What do you mean?" Heine asked.

"Really, Heine, didn't you notice? Naoto hasn't slept for days," the little woman responded. "She's going to get sick. I asked her about it, but she insisted she's fine."

Heine frowned at the door, frustrated with the stubborn woman who just exited. He felt a tug on his shirt, and looked down to see Nill with a concerned expression on her face. He knew what that look meant; she wanted him to make sure she was okay. Heine sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You want me to bring her back here?" he said.

Nill nodded. Heine hadn't seen her look so worried in a long time. With another sigh, he tugged his coat tighter and left.

Once on the street, he found Naoto retreating rather quickly, already almost a block away. He had to walk rather fast to catch up to her, feeling foolish as he noticed the stares he was generating from the people walking by. The irony of following /her/ for once was not lost on him.

"Hey," he finally called out as he got close enough. No response. He tried again to get her attention, and was again met with silence. Feeling even more like an idiot for doing this at all, Heine quickened his pace and eventually got close enough to grasp her shoulder.

"HEY!"

Naoto stopped and spun around to look at him point-blank. Her expression was one of both shock and embarrassment. There were heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks were bright red, and Heine noticed that she was sweating and breathing heavily.

There was a moment of silence before she responded. "What do you want?"

Heine let go of her shoulder, almost relieved that she finally spoke to him. "Nill and Granny are worried about you. They want to make sure you're all right."

"I already told them, I'm fine." Naoto's eyes left his, and she stared guiltily at the concrete.

"You're obviously not," Heine said. "You have a fever, don't you?"

Naoto shifted visibly, giving herself away even more. She didn't say anything.

Heine was amazed that this woman was capable of being so unreasonable. Had this apparent lack of sleep clouded her judgment so badly?

"Nill wants you to come back to the shop." Heine gestured for her to follow him, but she didn't move. She looked back up at him with an expression he couldn't read.

"No... Tell her I'm sorry, but I can't... I need to go home."

Naoto started to back away, but Heine's patience was wearing thin. He abruptly reached forward and grasped her arm. This desperate action came out more forceful than he intended, as he found himself pulling Naoto dangerously close. The force caused the woman to stumble forward and, in her sleep-deprived state, almost fall into him.

Immediately alarm bells went off inside Heine. His perception blurred, and he felt that familiar static begin to cloud his mind. He tried to keep his grip on reality, as the woman tearing apart his sanity was mere inches away. He struggled to push the howling dog back, growling at him to stay the fuck away. He could her it taunting him, begging to be let out to play. No, he screamed internally, not now! His vision continued to darken.

"NO!" Naoto suddenly cried out.

Heine felt Naoto's arms on his chest, pushing away from him. At some point he had let go of her, and he realized he was clutching both sides of his head. The static slowly began to fade, and his vision started to clear.

Naoto glanced at him and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said simply. She quickly turned and walked away from him while he was still semi-paralyzed from their brief contact.

Heine could do nothing but watch her retreating figure in stunned silence. His hands lowered as his vision cleared, and his heartbeat returned to normal. After a few moments of deep contemplation, he turned back the way he came.