Yu Kanda didn’t seem like the type to be protective, not even to himself. He constantly threw himself into the heat of battle with little to no regard of his well being. He had often explained simply–when he even bothered answering–that his body could take it. That’s all he’d say.
You weren’t necessarily expecting anything to change when the two of you got together. Kanda was not the type of man to change easily. That was just one of the things you loved about him; you loved all of him, even the bad parts. That didn’t mean that they didn’t ever exhaust you, though.
You began to realize as time went on that maybe your initial assumption was incorrect. It started in battle: when the two of you fought together, Kanda hung back where you were, fighting by your side. He still disregarded his safety for the sake of taking fatal blows for you; luckily, he recovered every time.
Soon, that feeling of wanting to protect you began to grow. He’d walk closer to you on the sidewalk, becoming a barrier if any shady characters walked by–as an Exorcist, he was suspicious by nature. This evolved into him being right there when you tripped or lost your balance–a strong hand gripping your arm to steady you until you found your footing.
He never addressed this change, and you never brought it up. He wasn’t overbearing in his execution because he still wanted to be independent, but he was around enough that you felt safe, almost untouchable. In fact, in most cases, you actually were untouchable, because if somebody that you knew Kanda did not know laid hands on you, Kanda’d pry them off.
“Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t go touching somebody who didn’t give you permission.”
With a cold, steely gaze, Kanda’s eyes followed the offender all the way until they were out of sight, before sighing and going about his business, leaving you surprised. After taking a moment to recover, you rolled your eyes and followed after him, the corners of your mouth twitching upwards.
“You’re my knight in shining armor, Kanda,” you sang, a slight hint of teasing in your voice.
“Che. Only because you won’t do it yourself.” He countered, making you pout.
“You’re one to talk…” you mumbled, and he chose to ignore that comment. In a meaningful tone, you added, “Thank you, though, for always being there for me. You don’t always have to protect me, but…thank you.”
Kanda was quiet for a bit, and for a moment, you were worried that maybe you worded that wrong or something. He looked at you–really looked at you, taking all of you in, silently appraising you. His hard eyes softened just a bit, but he turned away so fast that you thought that you had imagined it.
Toad's Cave 