Hybrid!Reader saves Kobeni from another Hybrid
A/n: A continuation of this post. I've had this idea for a while now, and wanted to get it done, because I love both Kobeni and the original post I made for this as well. I hope you all enjoy!
Kobeni Higashiyama x male reader
"T-Thank you f-for your patronage, sir! P-Please have a g-good night!"
The customer leaves, with Kobeni breathing a sigh of relief as soon as he does. She wipes the sweat from her brow, looking up at you as you lock the parlour door for the night.
You walk up to the counter and lean over it to give Kobeni a soft kiss on the head, running your hand through her hair.
"You did great, just like always, Beni."
Kobeni gives a shy but sincere chuckle.
"I'll clean the machines if you do the tables, then we can do the floors together. Is that ok with you, Beni?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine with that!"
"Great, then let's get started."
You tug on the collar of your shirt, pulling it over the scythe in your neck and loosening it. One benefit of Kobeni being aware of you being a Hybrid is you have to hide your trigger a lot less, which is good for you considering how tight your shirts can get when there's a small scythe constantly pressed against them.
It's been about a year since the US government last came for you, and since then, your life has been pretty peaceful. Sure, there's the occasional rowdy customer you have to deal with, but compared to being a nameless killer as a living, that's something you're more than happy to put up with.
"Y'know, I've been measuring our foot traffic compared to last month's, and we've been getting a lot more customers recently."
"R-Really? That's great!"
Kobeni gives a small smile as she looks over at you while wiping down a table, only to become a little confused when you seem concerned by the news.
"It is...but I'm also worried we don't have the manpower to handle it."
"Well, we were barely able to keep up with the amount of customers we had today. If this keeps up, we'll only end up overworking ourselves, then our quality will decrease, which'll make us lose business. And that's only if the number of customers doesn't go up from here."
"What do you think we should do?"
"You said we've been making more money recently, right? Maybe we should consider hiring someone?"
"A-Are you sure that's a good idea?"
While Kobeni trusts you enough to work with you, seeing as you are her boyfriend, she's put off having a third worker in the store for the longest time. Every time she so much as thinks about it, it only brings back bad memories of how her co-workers at her past two jobs treated her. Seeing that she's starting to spiral, you walk up to her and gently pull her into a hug, something that's become commonplace in your relationship with her.
"It's okay, Beni. We don't have to do it if you don't want to. We can figure something out."
She comes back to her senses and looks up at you, shyly shaking her head.
"N-No, I'm fine with it. A-As long as you're here, then everything will be okay, right?"
Even if she's still a little nervous about the idea, she manages a smile for you, making you smile back at her and hug her tighter.
"I'm glad you think so. Anyway, let's finish up here and head back home."
Kobeni nods, and the two of you get back to work. After a couple of hours of cleaning, you finally arrive home, taking a deep breath as you shut the door behind you.
"Even if we don't get someone to help with the customers, we should at least hire a cleaner. I keep forgetting how exhausting that can be."
Kobeni lets out a light giggle as you head to the bedroom. However, you soon notice Kobeni isn't following. You turn around to see her stood near the kitchen table, her ledger open open.
"Aren't you coming to bed, Beni?"
"I-I am, I just need to handle the records for the month first."
While your analytical skills help the business in terms of picking the right location and attracting customers, Kobeni is much more adept at the more financial side of the business. This is both because Kobeni studied a lot about numbers and maths when she still dreamed about going to college, and because your former boss didn't consider bookkeeping and accounting to be necessary skills in the art of assassination.
"Are you sure? You've already worked a lot today."
"Mmm, I-I'll be fine. Just save me a spot on the bed, please."
You smile at Kobeni and give her a kiss on the cheek, making her blush and look away sheepishly. You chuckle at her reaction, give her one last "good night" and head off to bed, the two of you blissfully unaware of the danger that lurks just outside.
You wake up in the morning, only to find that Kobeni isn't lying with you. Concerned that she stayed up all night, you go to the kitchen to check up on her, yet she isn't there either. Becoming a little worried now, you check every room in the apartment. The living room, the bathroom, even the bedroom and kitchen again just to make sure. She's nowhere to be found.
You start to panic, your heart feels as if it could beat right out of your chest. You try to calm yourself, only to be startled once more by the sudden ringing of the apartment's landline. You steady your hands to pick up the phone, your heart steadies itself, expecting Kobeni to be on the other end, only for it to drop even lower when a man with a light British accent answers instead.
"I assume this is The Reaper?"
"Who is this?! What have you done with Beni?!"
"You needn't worry. I can assure you the girl is safe. Do as I say, and that won't change. Come to the abandoned warehouse a few streets over, and come alone. If I sense anyone with you, I won't hesitate to break my end of the bargain in return. You have twenty minutes to comply."
"When I find you, I swear I'll-"
He's already hung up. You slam the phone down and hold your head in your hands in both anger and fear. Despite your every sense warning you this is a trap, if you want to save your girlfriend, you don't exactly have a choice.
Just a few minutes before the arranged time, you arrive at the warehouse. You see Kobeni across the room, she's tied up, with her back towards you. She has a blindfold tied around her head, but she's unharmed, just like the man promised.
At the sound of her voice, you rush across the room, wanting to free her as soon as possible, only to freeze when you hear the man's voice again.
The man emerges from the shadows. He's blonde, Caucasian, and you estimate he's just under six feet tall. He places a hand on the chair near Kobeni's shoulder. You want to attack him even more for daring to be so close to her, but you abide by his rule for now, worried what he'll do if you don't.
"I see you came alone like I asked. Very well, since you're willing to cooperate, I shall do the same and answer your questions from before."
The man moves his left hand from the chair to his right shoulder. You prepare to attack should he try anything. He tears his right arm clean off his body. In its place, metal plates emerge from his wound, descending down and forming an arm harness and gauntlet of a suit of armour. The same thing happens to his left arm, then his legs, before his whole body is covered in a suit of armour that would look more at home in the 15th century than the late 20th.
Once his transformation is complete, he stands at attention, his right fist over his heart and his glowing yellow eyes barely visible behind his eye slit.
"I am the Gauntlet Hybrid, but for what little time you have remaining, you may call me The Banneret. I work alone as a specialised unit for the Special Air Service in the British Army, and I'm nearly 100 years old."
"The Banneret, huh? Don't they usually work in groups, not on their own?"
The man seems to freeze for a few seconds at your question before responding.
"...I apologise, however, I only gave you my name because I already had yours. I am only willing to disclose my personal history if you are, and I very much doubt you are in such a mood right now."
"Yeah, you've got one thing right, at least. Look, just give me my Beni back, and I'll only cut off half your limbs as as a warning. Since you're a Hybrid, they'll grow back anyway. That sounds fair, right?"
"Once the gauntlet is thrown down, it cannot be taken back until one of us is dead. The most I can do is give you a counteroffer. You give me The Reaper's heart now, and I return your...'Beni' back to your apartment safe and sound. No scars, no bruises, completely unscathed. It'll be as if neither of us were ever here."
"If you're really after my heart like everyone else, why not just try and take it while I was asleep? Or ambush me the moment I stepped into this place?"
"Because a true gentleman does not fight on anything but even ground."
"You fused with a devil, and you still want to be a gentleman?"
"Are those born of hell forbidden from dreaming of heaven? You're the same way, aren't you? Once a government dog, now running a legitimate business with the love of your life, unconcerned with the constant danger you're putting her in just from being in a relationship with her."
For a moment, you actually stop to consider his words. As much as you hate to admit it, he has a point. If you two were to start fighting here, there's a decent chance Kobeni would be hurt in the process. And as long as you're dating her, she'll always be a target for those after your devil heart. You hold your hand over your heart, almost ready to tear it out yourself, when Kobeni speaks up again.
"Y/N, please don't listen to him! You aren't putting me in any danger. I'm the one who chose to stay with you, even after learning who you really are, and I only did it because I love you. B-Before I met you, I was only focused on surviving, living paycheck to paycheck, putting everyone else before myself. Y-You were the one who gave me life. You showed me what living is just as much as I showed you. If you were to stop living now, all because of me, then so would I. So please, keep fighting, for both of us."
The Banneret turns to Kobeni.
"She's quite the sentimental type, isn't she? I can see why The Reaper would become infatuated with her."
When he turns back towards you, you're already transformed into your Hybrid form.
"No. Not infatuated. I love her."
"...Very well. You've made your choice, now let's see how long you live with it."
The two of you rush each other, exchanging rapid blow after blow. The scraping of scythe against gauntlet is the only sound that fills the warehouse. The Banneret seems to keep up with your attacks much easier than the U.S. agent you fought before, though you can't tell if it's because he's a fellow Hybrid, or the many years of experience he has over you, or both.
You manage to pierce his right hand with your scythe, but he only tightens his grip around it, winds his arm back to pull you forward and punches you across the face. In the few seconds you're dazed from his attack, he follows up with a quick couple of jabs to the ribs, then he grabs you by the shoulders and headbutts you. You stumble backwards, while The Banneret marches towards you, barely a scratch on him.
You look around, searching for anything you can use against him, and your eyes land on Kobeni. Even in spite of the situation she's in, despite her constant nervous nature, she seems completely calm, as if she already knows you're going to win. If even she can be confident that you're going to save her, then so can you.
You clench your fists and steel your nerves. You notice an old rebar situated directly above you. With no other options, you aim your scythe above your head...and fire. The scythe flies upwards, latching onto the steel bar above and pulling on it. The Banneret, catching on to what you're doing, now charges much faster at you. The joints of the steel bar come loose, it falls down directly into your hands. You wind it back, like a batter about to hit the game-winning home, and slam it straight into the man's face.
The Banneret flies backwards, crashing into the wall behind him, and slumps to the ground. You take a few seconds to catch your breath as you slowly transform back into your human form. You drop the steel bar to the floor, its clang echoes throughout the room.
You remember your girlfriend is still tied up, and quickly rush to go help her. As soon as she's free from her binds, she turns around and pulls you into a tight hug, burying her face in your shoulder.
"Y-Y/N, I was so scared I'd never see you again, b-but I tried my best to be brave anyway."
"I know, beni. You did great. I wouldn't have won if you didn't keep believing me."
"N-No, I barely did anything, it was you who did most of the work. I...I..."
She looks you in the eyes, when tears suddenly prick at hers. She buries her face in your shoulder again, her tears slightly soaking your shirt, but that's not even a concern to you right now.
"I-I'm so sorry...I almost got you killed, all because I couldn't protect myself."
You lightly wipe her eyes with your thumb before pressing your hand against her cheek, lightly pulling her away from your shoulder to look at you.
"No, Beni. I'm the one who's sorry. If I hadn't left you alone like that, he wouldn't have got the drop on you in the first place. From now on, I'll never let something like this happen again."
She gives a small nod, and the two of you share a kiss, ignited by the adrenaline from the encounter and the overwhelming joy of finally being in each other's arms again.
"Now, let's get out of here."
You turn to leave, but Kobeni stops you by pulling on your arm.
She looks over at The Banneret, still unconscious on the floor.
"I want to bring him with us."
"Really? After everything he put us through?"
"I-I gave you a second chance, even after everything you were made to do by your government. Can't we do the same for him?"
You look down at her for a few seconds, before giving her a smile and a pat on the head.
"H-Heh? What's that for?"
"This is the first time you've been brave enough to tell me what you want directly."
She lets out a shy laugh with a blush. You walk over to The Banneret, you take off his arm and reattach it again. The armour covering his body slowly disappears, revealing his human form underneath once more. He wakes up, and looks at you with a confused expression.
"You won...and yet you still chose to save me...why?"
"A true gentleman only fights on even ground, right? I only won with a move you hadn't seen before, so i figured I'd technically be disqualified."
"If neither of us are dead, then that only means our contest is still on. I cannot rest until I have The Reaper's heart, or until you tear out mine."
"You could do that, or...you could turn your back on your government and start a new life here. I already did it, I don't see why you couldn't as well."
The man looks down in defeat.
"...I have no idea what I'd do."
"Well, we are currently hiring. You said you dreamed of heaven, right?"
You hold out your hand to him.
"...Show me what your heaven looks like."
The man takes a moment to think, then takes your hand. You pull him up on his feet.
"So, what will your new name be? We can't keep calling you "The Banneret" forever."
"You may call me...Lancelot."
"Fine, but only if you shorten it to Percy."
"Very well, from this day forth, I shall be known as...Percy."
"It's nice to meet you, Percy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too...Y/N."
With that, the three of you finally take your leave.
"By the way, I don't suppose I could stay at your place for a few days?"
"Don't you have a hotel room to stay in or something?"
"I did...but I ran out of money to keep booking it, and my return flight was supposed to be today."
"I don't know, it'd be a little cramped with the three of us..."
"Fine, you can take the couch, just don't make too much noise."
