Warm Wishes (Kankri X Reader) Part 2

Warm Wishes (Kankri X Reader)

You dropped the last box and groaned. Your sister and you didn’t own much, but what you owned was heavy! You stretched and sighed as your shoulders popped. A loud crash from the kitchen interrupted your peaceful moment. Well, at least that meant Sis was alive.

“Hey sis, you okay in there?” you called.

There was a bit of scrambling before the reply came. “Yeah! I’m fine, just slipped!” she shouted.

Sis was about as graceful as a herd of elephants on roller skates. You were constantly amazed at how she could actually function in normal life. She could even hold a job as a waitress! But as soon as she ditched the uniform, she was sprawled on the floor because she tripped or something.

You rolled your eyes and headed for the door. “Hey Sis, I’m gonna go explore, ok? I’ve got my cell!” you shouted.

There was an indistinct noise from the kitchen that sounded like a cross between a yes and a cry for help. Being the optimistic person you are, you took it as an ok and skipped out.

The chilly air hit you as soon as you left the safety of your house. You shivered a bit and burrowed deeper into your sweater. You didn’t really know where you were going, but you could vaguely remember a park being around here. You set off at a brisk pace in an attempt to get warm. You didn’t really know where you were going, but it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that you were out of the house and back in the town you loved.

You glanced at a few of the houses you passed, wondering if the people that had lived in them so long ago still did. You paused in front of a yellow and cream house for a moment. Your best friend Beth had lived there at one point. You could remember going to the park with her.

You sighed and continued on. Even if she did live there, she probably wouldn’t remember you. After all, you had left so long ago, and she still had her other friends to take her mind off of you.

You were so wrapped up in your thoughts you barely registered that you had made it to the park. You instinctively gravitated towards the swings and slid into one of them. You began swinging lazily, thoughts stuck on the friends you had left behind.

Beth, Lena, Will… who knows if they remembered you? You clutched the chains of the swing tighter. Kankri probably didn’t remember you either. You had only really known him for one day and had avoided him like the plague all the time before that.

You sighed in defeat. You had been looking forward to finding that boy and thanking him for everything he had done for you. But he’d probably think you were weird if you did find him.

“Why’d he have to be so memorable?” you groaned. You kicked a rock angrily and went back to swinging. Maybe it was better to not even try finding him…

“Um, excuse me miss, are you alright?” a polite male voice interrupted your thoughts.

You jumped a bit and glanced up. There, standing just a little ways away was the one and only Kankri Vantas. It was impossible not to recognize him. He was even wearing a red sweater like the one he gave you!

You forced yourself to smile. “Y-yeah, I’m good. Just… er, trying to get over someone.” You muttered. You didn’t want to admit that you knew him yet. After all, being able to tell that he was the same person that had comforted you 10 years ago so quickly would probably earn you weird looks.

Then again, he was grey. There weren’t a lot of people like that out there.

Kankri frowned and took a seat on the swing next to you. “Oh? Well, if you would like to vent to someone, I wouldn’t mind listening. Of course, talking to a stranger about your personal feelings may be triggering, so if you do not wish to, I would understand completely.” He offered.

You bit your lip, suddenly finding your lap rather interesting. “I’d like to talk, actually. It’d be nice.” You mumbled. You hadn’t told anyone except your Aunt and Sis about Kankri, and they hadn’t really thought much of it. Sis had teased you about Kankri being your first crush, but she never understood how much Kankri meant to you.

After all, he’d been there when you needed someone, even though you didn’t know him well. He was a rare sort of person, someone who was genuinely nice. Or at least, he had been. Who knows how he was like now.

You shook your head to clear it and sighed. “Well, see I just moved here from Las Vegas. I used to live here, years ago. There was a boy I used to like. I mean, I didn’t really know him too well, but he was there for me when I needed him, so I kinda started liking him. But I left before I could become very good friends with him. And now I’m back, so I’m thinking about him again.” You laughed awkwardly. “I must sound crazy, huh?”

Kankri coughed and glanced away. “A-actually, no. It’s quite endearing that you would remember a childhood friend for so long. I have had a similar experience as well. I had a friend that moved away. I doubt she remembers me though. Even if she were to recognize me, I doubt she’d be interested in renewing a friendship. I’m sure she’d find me obnoxious. Most people do.” He admitted.

You tilted your head and smiled gently. “I don’t see why. You seem really nice. I mean, you’re letting a stranger vent to you. It’s awfully considerate.” You said.

A blush erupted on his cheeks and he shook his head. “Thank you for your kindness, but you needn’t be so polite. I’m sure you view me as strange. I assure you, I’m quite used to this, so you needn’t worry about hurting my feelings.” He said.

You snorted. Maybe it was time to admit you remembered him. “Of course you’re weird Kankri. You’ve always been weird. But that’s why I remember you.” You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, but you felt better now that you told him.

Kankri blanched and fell off his swing. You raised an eyebrow and offered your hand to him. “Sorry, was that a shock? Heh, I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack.” You said.

Kankri blinked up at you, eyes wide. “{N-Name}? Y-you… recognized me?” he asked, sounding almost panicked.

You frowned a bit. “I haven’t met that many grey skinned, candy corn horned people out there. I’m not sure how I’d not recognize you.” You said with a shrug.

He shook his head and burrowed into his overly large sweater. “So you still see through the illusion… you still see me as the freak I am.” He muttered dejectedly.

You knelt beside him and hesitantly reached out to pat his shoulder. He flinched slightly at the physical contact, but didn’t look up.

“Hey, you’re not a freak. You’re honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. So stop complaining. Come on, look up.” You soothed. Ok, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to admit you knew him.

He sniffled a bit and peaked at you from over the top of his sweater. “W-why a-are you being nice to me? M-most people, e-even without s-seeing who I really am d-don’t want to be around me…” he muttered.

You sighed and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened a bit, but eventually collapsed into the embrace. He clung to you like you were his only lifeline. You stroked his head soothingly, carefully avoiding his horns. “Shh, it’s ok. It’s ok.” You sat like that for a while, just holding him.

You weren’t really sure why Kankri was reacting so emotionally to your reintroduction; you just knew he needed human comfort. After a few minutes of soothing, Kankri finally calmed down.

“Uh, you ok now? Er, can I ask… why you freaked out so much?” you asked awkwardly.

Kankri hiccupped a bit. “I-I’m so sorry if I triggered you, I just… do you remember that I used to deal with bullies? I would understand if you didn’t, but I’m afraid I’m facing some similar situations, though the scale has been upped. I didn’t mean to have such an outburst, but I’m afraid I haven’t experienced a friendly presence in a while. I usually come to this park to think, and when I saw you…” he took a shuddering breath before continuing.

“I saw you and I recognized you, so I wanted to talk to you. Then when I did I thought you didn’t recognize me, I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. But you did recognize me, and you pointed out the one thing that I’ve been trying so hard to hide from everyone and I just… I just…” he choked back a sob.

“I just didn’t want you to think of me as a freak like everyone else does.” He whispered.

You sighed and rested your head on his. “Kannie… it’s ok. You were there when I needed someone, so I’ll be here for you, alright?” you proposed.

It hurt to see him so broken. It took you back to that dreadful day when you were broken.

Kankri took a breath and managed a weak smile. “I’d like that… thank you, {Name}.” He shivered a bit as a cold wind swept in.

You shrugged off his thanks and hugged him again. “No Kankri, thank you.”

~~~

“Hey, are you crying?” a man asked in a whisper.

Sis wiped her eyes and shook her head frantically. “N-no, I just have something in my eye.” She protested.

Her male companion laughed. “You can’t fool Jake English, love. It’s alright, go ahead and cry. I mean, she is your little girl, it’s natural to cry.” He soothed.

Sis made a face, but sobered quickly as the organ began to play. She turned to face the doors of the church, Jake’s arm held in a vice-like grip.

A stream of girls dressed in {Favorite Color} poured into the church, all following a girl in red. After they passed, you made your entrance. Sis burst into tears and hid her face in Jake’s chest. Jake started a bit, but patted her back soothingly anyway.

You noticed your sister’s outbreak with a smile. Every time Sis had seen the white gown, she’d teared up. Seeing you in it had sent her into hysterics. But you didn’t really mind. They were happy tears after all.

You took your place beside Kankri by the alter, a grin plastered on your face. Kankri looked nervous, but still managed a strained smile. You sighed contentedly.

Today was the beginning of the rest of your lives, and you couldn’t be happier.