𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙩 & 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚| 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙭 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

The evening air was crisp, and the city buzzed with its usual energy as the stars twinkled above. Y/N stood at the window of her apartment, looking out at the lights below. The quiet hum of the city filled the air, but her mind was elsewhere, her thoughts lingering on the man who had come to mean so much to her in such a short time.
Boothill had been with her nearly every day for the past few weeks—whether they were enjoying lazy mornings or simple dinners, or even moments where silence spoke more than words ever could. They had grown closer, more comfortable in each other's presence. Boothill had let his guard down more than once, showing her sides of himself that he rarely let anyone see.
And now, standing in the midst of the warm glow of their shared time, she could feel the growing tension in the air. He hadn't said much, but she had noticed the way he had been looking at her, like he was fighting something inside.
Her phone buzzed, cutting through the quiet moment. She glanced down at the screen—an unread message from Boothill.
"I need to talk to you tonight. Can you meet me at the usual place?"
Y/N's stomach tightened slightly. The "usual place" was a small, cozy café just down the street—a quiet spot that they often frequented together. A spot that had become their unspoken safe haven. She quickly typed a reply.
"I'll be there."
It wasn't long before she grabbed her coat and made her way out the door, the cool air brushing against her cheeks as she walked down the familiar street toward the café. Her mind raced as she walked, wondering what he wanted to talk about, what could possibly be so serious that he needed to meet in private. The weight of it all settled in her chest, and the closer she got to the café, the more she could feel her heart beating in her throat.
When she arrived, Boothill was already there, sitting in their usual booth by the window. His broad frame was hunched slightly, his elbows resting on the table, his fingers tracing the edge of his mug. His posture seemed stiff, distant, and for the first time in a while, he looked... uncertain.
Y/N's heart clenched as she approached him. "Hey," she said softly, her voice gentle as she slid into the booth across from him. "What's going on? You seem... different."
Boothill didn't meet her gaze immediately, instead staring down into his mug as if the answer to everything was written there. When he finally looked up, his eyes were darker than usual, a heaviness in his expression that made her stomach twist.
"You're right," he said, his voice low, almost reluctant. "I've been... distracted. I've been avoiding this conversation."
Y/N's pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"
Boothill's hand clenched around his mug, and he exhaled slowly, as if trying to find the right words. "I've been offered a bounty," he began, his voice steady but with an underlying tension. "A pretty big one. I've got to leave—soon. I'll be heading to another planet for a while."
Y/N's breath caught in her throat. "Another planet?" she repeated, her mind struggling to keep up with the sudden shift in their reality. "How long are you going to be gone?"
Boothill hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the window as if the answer was written in the stars. "A few weeks at least. Could be longer, depending on how things go." He looked back at her, his gaze heavy with the weight of his words. "This is a dangerous job, Y/N. I don't know if it's going to work out the way I hope."
The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, and Y/N's heart sank. She knew what he did, the risks he took with every bounty, but hearing it from him, seeing the seriousness in his eyes, made everything feel real.
"I understand," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "I know what this means for you. I just... I don't want you to go."
Boothill's eyes softened, his jaw tightening in a barely controlled effort to keep his emotions in check. "I don't want to leave either. Not now. Not when things... feel right between us." He rubbed a hand over his face, frustrated with the emotions that had begun to surface. "But this is who I am. This is what I do. And I don't know if I'll be able to come back—at least not in one piece."
The raw vulnerability in his words sent a pang of sorrow through her chest. Boothill had never let anyone get close enough to care before. He had built his life around solitude, around distance. And now, here he was, talking about leaving, about facing danger alone.
"I get it," Y/N said, her voice steady but her heart breaking at the thought of being without him. "But, Boothill... I can't stop you. I won't."
Boothill's hand reached across the table, his fingers brushing against hers gently, as though asking permission to cross the boundary between them. The touch sent a shiver down her spine, and she clasped his hand without hesitation, anchoring herself in the warmth of the moment.
"I don't want to go," he repeated, his voice softer now. "But I don't know how to... make you understand. I care about you, Y/N. More than I've let myself care about anyone in a long time."
Tears pricked at the corners of Y/N's eyes, but she forced them back, blinking rapidly. She hadn't realized how much she had come to depend on Boothill until now—how much his presence in her life had become a constant, something that had filled the empty spaces she hadn't even known existed.
"I care about you, too," she said softly, squeezing his hand in return. "I think... I think I've been falling for you. And I can't stand the idea of you going away without knowing that."
Boothill's heart stuttered in his chest at her words, and for a moment, he just sat there, holding her gaze. It was as though the world had momentarily frozen around them, and for once, he didn't have to be the bounty hunter, the lone wolf. He could just be Boothill, the man who had found something in her that he didn't know he needed. Something real.
"I don't know how to do this," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't know how to leave and come back and still... be here with you."
Y/N smiled softly, her thumb tracing the back of his hand in comforting circles. "You don't have to have it all figured out. Just... be honest with me, Boothill. That's all I need."
He nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, he wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could come back to her. He could come back and still find the love and connection they shared waiting for him.
The weight of goodbye loomed over them, but in that moment, they both knew something that neither could say aloud. The distance wouldn't change what they had—it would only make the time they spent together more precious.
Boothill leaned in, his forehead resting against hers, their breaths mingling in the quiet space between them. "I'll come back to you, Y/N. I promise."
And with those words, the quiet tension between them faded, replaced by something soft and real. Something worth holding on to, no matter what the future might bring.