Obsessed

Obsessed

[Arcane] Yandere! Jinx x Fem! Reader

Word count: 1.9k

Content Warnings: Small amount of cursing, implied violence, obsessive/toxic personality/relationship, stalking

[A/N]: This is my first time posting a story on this site, so please bear with me if the formatting is a little weird. I’ll try to edit it later to make it easier to read, lol.

Enjoy!

    Even though they were hundreds of feet above the water and bridge beneath them, that wasn't what was causing [Y/N]'s anxiety. She had been up here before, multiple times in fact, with her "friend" Jinx. They always came up here to relax and spend time together, just talking and sharing jokes or their favorite moments from their day. It had been so normal for so long, but recently Jinx had begun to make the conversation a little strange. They'd crack jokes with each other for a while, but then when they started talking about their day, Jinx would make an effort to ask about [Y/N]'s first. And when it was her turn to share, all she ever talked about was spending time with the [h/c] girl. In all honesty, it was making [Y/N] uncomfortable. Why was Jinx being so adamant about talking about her? She wasn't anything special. She was just a friend–a coworker–an assistant. Could she possibly be...? No, that was crazy. [Y/N] didn't even like her that way, why would she feel that way about her?

    And oh, how badly Jinx wanted to let her know that wasn't true. She had brought her up here to confess anyway, so she figured she could come clean about everything.

Well, not everything. Some things are better left unsaid.

    For example, she probably shouldn't tell her about how she stalked her over the past few months. Ever since she met the [h/c] girl–by total accident–she was hooked. In love. Obsessed. She just couldn't let her walk out of her life the way everyone else had done. So, in order to show her love before getting too serious (to not scare her off), she started sending gifts to [Y/N] and leaving little notes with words of pure affirmation. 'You may not know me personally quite yet, but I have to let you know that you're forever mine." "Since the day I met you, my life has never been the same." "You're my dream girl. Once we meet, you'll never be able to leave me." "I dream about you every night. I'm obsessed with you." Just short phrases that got her point across. Until one day, she sent a full letter.

    "Hey toots,

    I'd ask how you're doing today, but I already know. I've been keeping close tabs on you, but it's nothing weird, I promise. Just wanna make sure you're safe and aren't struggling. I'm sure by now you've noticed all the gifts landing on your doorstep. Some of them anyway. The blankets and stuff I left on your bed. Oh, and don't worry about how I got in. I promise I would never steal from you. I'll cut to the chase here. Silco is searching for new recruits, and I suggested you as my lab assistant! He said he's gotta meet you before he makes any big decisions or whatever, so you'd better get your cute little butt over here for an interview! Can't wait to see ya!

        -Jinx"

    [Y/N] didn't take up on her offer right away. After all, Jinx and Silco were known to be ruthless when it came to their employees. And, even though she hated living here in the undercity, she certainly didn't want to die for making a small mistake and accidentally upsetting them. Each day, Jinx came into Silco's office and asked if a certain [h/c] girl had come in for an interview, only to feel crushed when told that, no, no one had come in that matched her description. Enraged that [Y/N] hadn't listened to her, Jinx's stalking became more aggressive. Instead of only finding her in public places like The Last Drop, she followed her around almost everywhere she went. From the moment she left her house, [Y/N] had a very infatuated blue-haired girl trailing after her just a few meters behind.

    After a couple of days, Jinx even found herself watching through the window of [Y/N]'s house until she could see that she was asleep and safe. She knew what the girl was doing every day. What she ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, what time she went to work, who she talked to, everything. She made a mental list of all the men and women who even remotely appeared to be flirting with her and made sure they'd never be able to interfere with her again. To her, everyone else was competition for [Y/N]'s love. Finally, after growing tired of this, Jinx sent her another note that simply said:

    "I won't ask again. You will be my partner. Show up at Silco's office and tell him I sent you, or you'll regret ignoring me."

    Once remembering exactly what Jinx was capable of, [Y/N] finally gave in and got herself an interview at Silco's office, afraid she might not have much longer to live if she didn't. Little did she know, a certain admirer of hers was watching from the platform on the ceiling. After a while of talking–and silent, pleading glares from Jinx–Silco agreed to give [Y/N] an opportunity to work for him. But only on the condition that she follow his every order–one of which was to obey Jinx when in the lab. Over the next few weeks, Jinx managed to grow closer to the girl, seemingly not realizing–possibly due to her delusions– that [Y/N] had absolutely no interest in being friends with her. She ignored the voices warning her to back off.

    After a while of working on countless projects together, Jinx finally managed to steel her nerves and send [Y/N] yet another letter. This time, she asked her to meet her in their usual spot, which is where they were now: standing on the scaffolding above the bridge in the city. It was near midnight. Jinx figured that with how late it was, there would be a very low chance of someone ruining the moment. Not that it would matter–she'd easily take care of it, though she'd feel slightly regretful for it. In the time she had gotten to know [Y/N], she had killed plenty of people who went against her or Silco's wishes. Some of which took place in front of the [h/c] girl. When she'd look back at [Y/N] to make sure she was okay, she could see the horror in her eyes. Oh, how she hated causing that look. She wanted her to be happy! Not scared!

    "[Y/N], I gotta be honest with you. You make me so damn happy. I know we barely met a few months ago, but you're my whole world, toots. I...I love you, and I wanna make you happy. You deserve everything you've ever wanted, and with how well Silco provides for me, I can assure you I'd make you the happiest girl in the world. You're just so beautiful and kind, and...you deserve someone who will protect you at all costs. Even though you might not believe it, I will do whatever I can to keep you safe." She pauses, sucking in a deep breath. "So whaddya say? Do you love me too?"

    [Y/N] stared in slight shock, not expecting this. She had told herself it was a possibility, but shut that thought down real quick. She didn't love her back. She couldn't–not after everything she had done. She blinked, meeting Jinx's gaze again, who was staring back expectantly. Jinx was hoping, praying, that her feelings would be reciprocated. Her head was tilted to the side, a faint blush dusting her cheeks and creeping up to her ears as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She was very fidgety. Her hands were twitching and fiddling with her loose strands of hair, occasionally popping her knuckles, her leg bouncing. It was visibly obvious that whatever [Y/N] said in reply would control her next move.

    [Y/N]'s mouth opened and shut a few times, unsure of what to say. She couldn't form the right words. How could she let her down easily? Should she even let her down? Would other people get hurt because of her decision? She internally sighed. She couldn't risk others getting hurt for her sake, even if she knew they were horrible people. If it meant no one would get hurt for her sake, [Y/N] was willing to sacrifice her freedom. She looked down at the bridge below. Trying to give herself a moment to put on a convincing act, she watched the small, colorful dots that were people. If she didn't pull off her act successfully, anyone down there could be Jinx's next victim.

    She finally looked back up at Jinx with a smile, which made the girl's eyes light up. "Of course I do, Jinx." Jinx smiled, but it quickly dropped after a moment of faltering. "Say it." Her tone was unusually cold towards her. [Y/N] raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. "What? Say what?" "Tell me you love me. I need to hear you say it to believe it." The [h/c] girl froze, a nervous bead of cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. "I-I..." As she struggled to "admit" her feelings, Jinx's gaze hardened, her brows furrowing tightly together. "Say it." [Y/N] swallowed the lump in her throat. 'Say it, or she'll kill you.' Forcing that smile again that didn't quite reach her eyes, [Y/N] grabbed Jinx's hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I love you, Jinx."

    Jinx didn't say anything for a moment–didn't even have the slightest visible reaction. Her eyes flickered around the girl’s face in search of any sign of a lie. Finally, as if the words barely processed in her mind, a large grin broke out across her lips in an almost menacing manner. "Oh, sweets, you make me so happy." Without any warning, she cupped the [h/c] girl's face and closed the distance between them with a kiss that was a little too rough to be considered sincere. [Y/N] didn't even have a chance to react before Jinx leaned back and pulled her in by the waist for a tight hug. Her slender hand came up, long painted nails entangling themselves into the [h/c] locks she had ached to caress for months. "I love you so much, [Y/N]. You have no idea what I'd do for you." [Y/N] swallowed. She did know. She had seen it right before her eyes more than once. She knew that Jinx wouldn't hesitate to kill for her, even if she begged her not to.

    She was brought out of her thoughts as Jinx's hold on her waist tightened to a painful degree. "Why aren't you hugging me back?" Again, her tone was cold. [Y/N] jumped slightly and quickly returned her embrace. Jinx relaxed slightly in her hold, slowly beginning to sway the two of them side to side. Her nose buried itself into the crook of [Y/N]'s neck. She drew in a deep breath, seeming to take in the [h/c] girl's scent. Oh, that intoxicating scent of hers...so comforting. So...addicting.

    How she longed for this moment–this close contact. All those weeks of spending time with her and getting to know her interests and hobbies finally paid off. Here she was–holding her after finding that her feelings were mutual. This was the girl she wanted to spend the rest of her days with. She wanted to marry her and keep her happy until the day they died. And never again would Jinx tolerate anyone flirting with [Y/N]--not that she ever did. [Y/N] was hers.

Her heart fluttered at that thought. It repeated itself over and over again in her mind, drowning out the other voices swarming her brain and satisfying her obsessive tendencies. ‘She’s all mine. No one will ever take her from me. She won’t leave–she can’t. I won’t let her.’ Her smile grew. “You’re mine, toots. Don’t ever forget that.”

Caught My Attention

[Mean Girls 2004] Janis Ian x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.41k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Hints of homophobia/slurs, language (?).

[A/N]: None.

Enjoy!

 “Janis, calm down, for god’s sake. You’re gonna pace a literal trench into the ground,” Damian voiced from the kitchen table, chuckling at seeing how uncharacteristically nervous his best friend was. The ravenette jutted her chin over to face him with a scowl at his comment, though concern still riddled her features, creasing her brows as she scoffed. “How am I supposed to calm down? You know damn well how long I’ve liked this girl, and you know I’ve wanted to ask her out for years now. If this doesn’t go right, and she doesn’t feel the same way, I-I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Cady, who had no idea who the two were talking about, watched the scene before her as she stood behind the island in the kitchen, her nails tapping anxiously at her plastic cup that she hadn’t taken a sip from since Janis left her seat. “Well,” the redhead started with a stutter, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t known Damian or Janis for very long, but even she was visibly surprised at how worried the goth seemed to be. “Maybe you should just focus on the positive?” Before Janis could bite back with a snarky retort, Damian chimed in again to agree. “Yeah, that’s what a lot of the group has to do for theater. It’s supposed to help with the nerves or something.”

An annoyed groan slipped through Janis’s lips as she ran her hands down her face. “Look, I know I shouldn’t be overthinking things, but it’s hard not to, okay? She just…she means so much to me. I don’t wanna make things awkward between us and lose her as a friend. I’ve known her longer than I’ve known you,” she said, lifting her hand to wave it in Damian’s direction, “and I just can’t lose all of that because of some stupid crush.”

At that statement, Cady left her spot behind the counter, setting her cup to the side to step closer to Janis and place a gentle hand to her shoulder. She had no idea how to comfort other people–she was still getting used to it–but she had seen girls in the hallway at school do similar things when talking, so she figured it was worth a shot. “Hey, look, I don’t know this girl, but if she caught your eye and makes you happy, then I don’t think that’s stupid. Do you really think that?” A moment passed with Janis glancing between the girl beside her and the hand still on her shoulder.

She let out a small sigh after a while, a defeated look forming on her face. “No, I guess not, but still. What if–” “Don’t focus on what ifs, okay? That’s what’s making you so nervous right now.” Again, Janis seemed at war with herself, though more confused about Cady’s sudden comfort. She chuckled quietly and nudged the redhead’s hand from her shoulder. “Since when did you know how to comfort people like that?” Cady laughed at herself with a shrug. “Honestly? Most of it is from what I’ve seen from those weird teen romance movies people told me to watch.”

The two of them shared a smile before Janis turned away, thinking silently to herself. Before Damian or Cady could ask if she was alright, she turned back to them, a genuine grin finally painting her lips. “Okay, okay, I’ll try to stay positive. But I’ve never confessed to anyone before, so–as much as I hate to say it–I’m gonna need the two of you to help.”

Somewhere along the way, while multiple suggestions were being thrown out for Janis’s confession, someone in the trio mentioned asking her to the prom, which was right around the corner. Janis was hesitant, voicing her concern about people making fun of her and [Y/N] for being “gay in public” like they often did to her alone–thanks to Regina. It took a little convincing, but she ultimately agreed.

Although she agreed to go to the prom with [Y/N], if she accepted, she managed to persuade Damian and Cady into letting her confess and ask her privately to avoid everything being ruined by one of her bullies.

She hated cheesy romance, and she especially hated cliches, but she was willing to step outside of her comfort zone if it meant she could be with the girl she loved. Over the weekend, they threw together a messy plan. Damian brought [Y/N] to a seemingly random field after school one day, which made [Y/N] genuinely wonder if she had said her final goodbyes ahead of time. Janis, who had managed to get the day off from work after classes, was waiting there for her, which instantly eased her spiked nerves. She led her to a more remote location after Damian drove off. After a couple minutes of walking, Janis finally stepped to the side to reveal a small setup that was mainly put together by Cady.

Underneath a large oak tree rested a thin checkered blanket, topped with a basket packed full with pastries, drinks, and small sandwiches. To the side, a large sign was strung up between one of the branches of the tree and an adjacent metal rod that was once a tetherball pole. In large letters, decorated with doodles and drawings that were very clearly made by Janis, was the question she hadn’t even known she would ever ask.

Will you go to prom with me?

The two of them sat down after [Y/N]’s initial shock wore off. Janis began unpacking the woven basket to avoid eye contact as she asked what her answer was, hinting that she was wanting to take their relationship to the next level. [Y/N] chuckled at her, prompting her small amount of confidence to begin crumbling. “Janis, I’m gonna be honest, I already thought we were dating, so I thought going to the prom together was a given.”

Never in her life had Janis grinned so wide.

They spent the rest of the day together, ending it with Janis sketching [Y/N] still sitting beside her and talking about their plans for the dance before Damian finally pulled back up to drive the two of them home. [Y/N] was first to be dropped off, leaving Damian and Cady, who was invited in case the confession went either way, to bombard the goth with endless questions about how it went. Completely lovestruck and excited, Janis held no irritation or annoyance in her tone at the questions she would’ve usually greeted with venom.

Upon seeing his best friend so thrilled about the events that had happened only a couple of hours prior, Damian seemed far more excited about the two getting together than Janis did. He not-so-jokingly started planning what songs they should play at their wedding and what kind of suit Janis should wear. The ravenette brushed him off with a playful shake of her head and shove, though the smile never left her face. The rest of the ride to drop her and Cady off separately, all she could think about is what [Y/N] would look like in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle towards her--how she would look wearing a band she gave her. Then she got to thinking of prom.

What kind of dress would she wear then?

Shortly after the confession, Janis and [Y/N] started to hang out far more often than they already did. There was a small tension between them, both too awkward to know what to do, though it was far from unbearable. Whenever there would be a long, outstretched period of silence, they’d usually bring up random memories they had made together, unsure of what else to speak of.

Three days before prom, the two of them managed to find a random movie neither of them had seen before. They bundled up together in [Y/N]’s bed as they watched it, snacking on a large bowl of popcorn that was washed down with the soda they had bought when they met up. Halfway through the film, which struggled to keep their attention anyway, [Y/N] turned to her girlfriend and tapped her shoulder. Janis turned to her and hummed curiously.

“I’ve been thinking about what to wear for prom, but I really don’t know what I should. I mean, I’ve never gone to a school dance before, so…never had to shop for a dress for one, y’know?” The goth nodded at her. “Yeah, I know. I’ve never been to one either–not with someone else anyway. But I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing some fancy-ass dress. Skirt? Maybe, but only if it’s long enough to cover my legs all the way. Don’t wanna be mistaken for the Plastics after all. By the way, have you noticed that Karen’s skirts are getting, like, half an inch shorter every single week?”

[Y/N] chuckled at her comment, making her smile without realizing it. “Hey, don’t speak too soon. Next thing you know, she’s gonna be walking around in bikini underwear.” Janis shrugged with a laugh of her own. “I don’t know, she kinda already is. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

They snickered at the remark. When she quieted down again, [Y/N] shuffled over to let her head rest on top of Janis’s shoulder, making the girl tense lightly and blush at the sudden contact. “But anyway, I was thinking. Now that I know that neither of us has ever really done this before, maybe we could try to surprise each other? Make it that much more memorable.” The goth hummed, finally letting her own head drop down to rest on top of [Y/N]’s.

“Yeah, that’d be cool. Not entirely sure if I’d be able to find something that would make me look as good as you will.” Playfully, [Y/N] let her hand gently smack Janis’s abdomen. “Hey, don’t sell yourself short. You’re beautiful–always have been.” Janis turned away shyly at that, her free arm coming up far enough to let her scratch the back of her neck. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” They argued back and forth for a bit about who’s prettier, and eventually stopped when they yawned. “I'm pretty sure I’m gonna crash, but don’t think this is over,” Janis teased, scooting up further on the bed to allow herself to lay her head down properly on her pillow. “It is. I win. You’re prettier,” [Y/N] replied, mirroring her motions.

They murmured to each other as they slowly fell asleep, still telling the other that they were prettier.

Days passed, and it was finally the day of the prom. Janis had chosen a suit in shades of black and purple, tying her hair up in a more formal fashion. She had planned on heading home before the prom to have time to get changed and steel her nerves, though she and Damian ended up sitting on one of the stairwells towards the main rear entrance to the school. The cool tile beneath them made Janis shiver and move to tuck her skirt further underneath her legs.

The two of them seemed to talk mindlessly about anything and everything. Neither of them realized what time it was until Damian finally looked up at one of the clocks hanging up towards the ceiling. “Oh shit,” he mumbled, looking down at his watch to confirm. Janis checked the clock as well, cursing under her breath as she moved to stand. A hand gripped her wrist firmly and tugged her back down. She looked over at her friend in confusion. “What the hell, man? I’ve gotta get back to my house to get changed.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that. I actually brought your suit here in my car because I knew we were gonna stay late.” Now completely puzzled, Janis tilted her head. “You knew? What the fuck is this?” Damian smirked. “Yeah, [Y/N] and I planned a surprise. I wanted you to see her ahead of time. Her dress?” He pinched his fingers together and pressed them to his lips, kissing the tips of them before pulling his hand away and spreading his fingers wide. “Incredible. You’re gonna love it.” “You mean you’ve already seen it?” “Yeah, but only by itself. I haven’t seen her wear it yet. I know you’re gonna be blown away though. It’s pretty simple, but it’s definitely your style.”

“And that’s how you know I’m gonna like it, huh?” Damian nodded and grinned pridefully, crossing his arms and glancing back up at the time. “Yep. And she should be here any minute now.”

As if on cue, [Y/N]’s form emerged from the nearest hallway. With how Janis was angled, she couldn’t see her yet, but Damian could. His smile widened at the sight of her. “Holy shit,” he mumbled. “Yeah, you’re definitely gonna love it.” He could already picture his best friend’s reaction before she had it.

With now spiked nerves, Janis slowly turned her head at the sound of footsteps. Her mouth hung slightly agape as more and more of her girlfriend came into view, a deep shade of crimson dusting her cheeks as she froze. As the two of them made eye contact, [Y/N] shyly pulled her arm from behind her back to wave. “Hey,” she managed to whisper. Slowly, Janis rose to her feet to be closer to eye-level. Her green eyes traveled down [Y/N]’s figure, admiring the dress. As Damian had said, it was a fairly simple design: a black lace dress with extra fringe on the hem, which draped down to end about an inch or two above her knees. To match, she wore black dress shoes with small heels built in, basic floral designs etched into the toes.

A small chuckle managed to snap Janis out of whatever trance she stayed in for what felt like forever. She didn’t glance over to look, but she knew that it was Damian once she felt an elbow gently nudge her arm. “Damn, Janis. I’ve never seen you speechless like this before,” he teased, snickering when the ravenette could only blink in response, her gaze never leaving [Y/N].

“Holy shit, you look…” She managed to step forward and gently take [Y/N]’s hands into her own, her eyes once again studying her outfit and figure. “You look amazing. That dress looks perfect on you.” Shyly, [Y/N] smiled wider and lowered her head to hide the growing shade of red across her face. “Oh, thanks. I tried to think of what you might like, and this was pretty much all I could find on such short notice. I’m glad you like it.”

As Janis struggled to wrack her brain for something else to say to break the silence, Damian slipped away to his car, snatching the goth’s suit from the backseat and bringing it back inside. When he found the two of them again, he gently poked Janis’s arm, smirking as he watched her struggle to tear her eyes away to glance over at him. “I don’t know if you plan on going in that outfit or not, but the dance is supposed to start in fifteen minutes, so I’d suggest you suit up.”

Finally, Janis managed to nod and properly turn away to grab ahold of the suit. She murmured a quick, “be right back,” to [Y/N] before dashing to the nearest restroom to get changed. She had to mentally scream at herself to slow down so she wouldn’t accidentally tear or wrinkle the freshly pressed suit. Before leaving to find the two again, she checked herself in the mirror, quickly readjusting her hair into the neater bun it had been in all day. Her hands slid down her blazer to smooth it out even further. She sucked in a quick breath, glanced at her appearance once more, and finally left.

She met [Y/N], now alone, in front of the entrance to the auditorium, which had barely been opened within the past few minutes. A handful of students and staff had already made their way inside and started fixing themselves cups of the provided punch that centered itself in a bowl on a large table towards the side.

Before stepping inside, Janis gently took [Y/N]’s hand into her own and tugged her aside. In a whisper, she finally asked what she had been stressing about the entire time. “Are you sure you’re okay being seen with me? I mean, being seen together like this? I can understand if you don’t wanna deal with people treating you like shit because of it.” A confused tilt of the head was her response at first. “What do you mean?”

Janis sighed and glanced down at the floor beneath her. “You know. Like how Regina told everyone I like girls and how people call me–” she sucked in a breath to stop herself. “Certain names.” [Y/N] gently squeezed her hand in a reassuring motion. “Oh, I don’t care about all that. They can all fuck themselves, honestly. It’s none of their business.” Janis blinked, slightly caught off guard by the sudden use of language. [Y/N] hardly cussed so easily. It was usually hilarious to her when she did, but this time it felt strangely comforting.

She grinned softly. “So you really aren’t afraid to do this with me?” [Y/N] returned her smile. “No, not at all. I’d be proud to be seen with you.” Janis’s heart fluttered, a feeling she had long forgotten until the recent months when she finally realized just how serious her feelings were for this girl.

“Yeah,” she murmured. Her hand shifted a bit to allow her to interlock her fingers with [Y/N]’s. She squeezed her hand softly against her own palm, finally making eye contact again, accompanied with a far more confident smirk.

“I’d be proud to be seen with you too.”

Just as the two of them had expected, there were several students who glanced at them with disapproving looks. It bothered Janis for a while when the dances began, but after [Y/N] managed to find a way to keep her attention on her, she was able to completely ignore her insecurities. A few fast-paced songs blared through the large speakers at the end of the room, leaving [Y/N] and Janis laughing as they struggled to keep up with the beat. Finally, the music began to slow, and Janis found herself pulling [Y/N] closer.

With her sheepishness left at the door, [Y/N] beamed up at the ravenette gleefully. She hummed and glanced down at the suit she was wearing. “I wasn’t able to say it earlier since we were trying to get in before everyone else, but you look so damn good in that suit,” she managed to say over the music. Even with its much slower pace, the song still reverberated loudly throughout the large room.

Janis couldn’t help but blush at the sudden bluntness of the compliment. She chuckled, glancing down for only a moment. “Thanks,” she mouthed, her suddenly shy tone too soft to be heard over the noise buzzing from the speakers the two of them had accidentally drifted too close to. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, wanting so desperately to free the outpour of compliments bubbling up in her throat. She finally gave up after realizing she wasn’t able to project loud enough in the moment, instead laughing and tugging [Y/N] even closer.

The two of them settled against each other as they swayed side to side. After glancing up at her to confirm that it was okay, [Y/N] gently lowered her head to rest against Janis’s shoulder, the tip of her nose barely grazing over the skin of the ravenette’s neck. A muffled shudder was her only response for a moment, though Janis’s head soon moved to lean against her own. The two closed their eyes just as Janis realized she could now speak audibly into [Y/N]’s ear. There, her lips parted to finally speak again.

“You know, I’m not one for surprises, but… I really am glad that we agreed to surprise each other tonight. You were right about it being more memorable.”

[Y/N] giggled and nodded. “Told you so.”

Janis playfully scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she still moved to press her lips gently against the girl’s temple. “Yeah, I guess you did.”

Pay Attention

[Resident Evil: Village] Daniela Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 7.05k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of Daniela feeling like a burden, general angst-to-fluff, crying, soft pining, worries of delusions, and skipping a meal.

[A/N]: I was wanting to post this a week apart from Cassandra’s, but the WiFi went out and took a few days to fix, so I wasn’t able to work on her part. On top of that, I'm not entirely sure how to write for her character since I only recently started to come up with stories for her.

I had much more planned for this one, but I wanted to keep the word count in between what I had written for Bela and Cassandra, so I shortened a few things.

Also, this will be the last story for the Dimitrescu sisters for a while. Please check my bio for an explanation on that. I'll likely be writing for Amity Blight and Boscha from The Owl House next! Check the poll at the end of this story.

Enjoy!

 “Love can exert the same strain on the body as experienced intense fear. In a person in love, the same physiological reactions are observed: dilated pupils, sweaty palms, an increase in heart rate.” Pure intrigue and fascination sparked its way through Daniela’s body, her molten golden eyes skimming over the lines on the page that seemed to pull her in further with each passing word. A few weeks prior, when she had made her usual trip to the Village to visit the Duke and see what stories he had to offer, he had mentioned a book about facts relating to the human body’s anatomy and physiology–a book of “fun facts,” as he called it. Daniela had taken interest in this immediately and ordered it. During the time that she waited, she pondered about what kind of facts it could contain: whether or not it would mention how the body works when a human is in love.

Although she wasn’t entirely aware of it, there was a part of her mind that always brought her attention back to a certain maid that worked for her family. Anytime she thought of how the body might react to being in love with someone, her mind wandered to [Y/N] [L/N]. She would think of how soft her stare always seemed to be, how relaxed she appeared in the youngest Dimitrescu daughter’s presence. It made her feel as though she trusted her the way she was yearning for.

Subconsciously, she would begin to daydream. At first, it only started at night when she was getting ready to fall asleep after a long day. Over a–rather short–amount of time, however, she found herself staring into the distance at random times, completely in a blissful daze. The smitten woman would think constantly of [Y/N]’s steady gaze, and almost immediately fight to suppress a squeal once remembering how flustered she had gotten each time the two of them made eye contact.

After calming down, she’d dream of [Y/N]’s soft locks of hair that always seemed to frame her face so perfectly, cupping the outlining structure of her cheeks and jaw that she wished she could caress with her own hands. How she envied the way any other maid, or even one of her sisters, would so easily rip her attention away from her. She wished she could find a way to keep [Y/N]’s attention on her, find a way to make her pay attention, in other words.

To ease her growing frustrations, she’d turn her attention to [Y/N]’s lips. Although the young woman hadn’t worked for her family for very long–likely only two years–it didn’t take Daniela long to begin falling for her. Often, she would feel her eyes fluttering shut as she tried to vividly picture herself gaining the privilege to kiss her. She wondered how soft her lips would feel against her own. How warm they would be. Would they welcome her with the same spark of enthusiasm? Or would they freeze against her own before roughly removing themselves from one another?

She was often made fun of for being delusional when it came to romance, always falling back to rely on the romance novels she could be found burying her nose into on multiple occasions every single day. As much as she hoped her love would be reciprocated, she could feel the doubts and insecurities creeping in, wishing she didn’t have to consider the fact that her sisters may be right: she may be delusional about this romance.

Maybe she was making this out to be something so much more in her head.

Blending together and jumbling up her mind only made her daydreaming grow more frequent and harder to tear away from. She found herself retreating to her fantasies out of fear of it being the only way she would be able to hear [Y/N] tell her she feels the same way.

Her sisters would snap her out of it and, of course, tease her for it. It would always leave her flustered as she tried to act as though she wasn’t just fantasizing about her favorite maid, which she had personally requested serve the family for each meal.

She’d hastily make her way through her meal, ignoring the taunting of her older siblings, before excusing herself to fly back up to her room for some kind of privacy. She knew Bela and Cassandra would expect to find her in the library first–if they were to search for her–so she would hide away in her bedroom and distract herself with the stack of books she had stashed away in her wardrobe for such an occasion. Time and time again, she’d think about the book she ordered, increasingly growing fearful that it would only worsen her possibly deluded dreams.

After a while of waiting anxiously to learn more about the human body that always captivated her in more ways than one, the book finally arrived at the Duke’s cart. She paid him as promised and quickly fled back to the castle to read in the comfort of her favorite space, the library, leaving her sisters to continue their shopping on their own.

Thankfully, she had managed to keep her inattentiveness to a minimum. Because of this, she felt it was okay to go back to her sanctum to read, rather than secluding herself in her bedroom.

Brushing past the maids that worked deftly throughout the front parlor and all the way out to the opposite sides of the sturdy structure, Daniela finally made it to the library, where she shut the doors behind her and huddled up on the sofa closest to the center, allowing the large skylight above to provide light for her to read under.

She had curled up against the armrest, tucking one of the throw pillows against her chest and propping her legs up to press it further against her torso. Quickly, she flipped the front cover open and thumbed eagerly at the pages as she began to read the introduction–which opened by explaining how different events trigger different emotions and hormones throughout the brain and body. It was hard for her to suppress a yawn. The way the paragraphs were phrased, including the diction used, seemed more like something her eldest sister Bela would be interested in.

Seemingly countless words filled each pale, thin page, all of which added up to share different messages and facts about the physiological side of emotions. When the Duke had been talking of the book a few weeks prior, he made it seem far more interesting than what she was reading at the beginning. She had pictured interesting facts put together with very few words, short sections of small lists decorating the page with each bulleted point. She did enjoy lengthy novels using flowery language, which often used far more detail than this book had so far, but those had a story building up throughout each turn of a page.

The way the facts were laid out before her made her feel like she was being lectured by Bela.

The paragraphs seemed to stretch on and on. Her eyelids drooped upon feeling heavy, her boredom growing more and more evident across her features.

She sighed, swiftly flipping through the pages using the pad of her thumb, desperately searching for where the more interesting part of the book was. Finally, with a small cheer of triumph, she discovered what she was seeking out for. She smiled gleefully and nuzzled up against the sofa and the pillow. Her body sunk down into the cushions as she finally took interest in the words that rested underneath a large, bold title that read “Facts of the Brain.”

It had started off sharing facts about the brain connected to the nervous, digestive, and integumentary systems, though what truly caught her interest was when it started speaking of how love and romance affected the body. Finally, she found the part of the book she had been fantasizing about for weeks. Each fact drew her deeper and deeper into the pages, her senses tuning out the rest of the world. Her smile cracked wider and wider across her face, and just like she had done before she had even gotten her hands on the book, she pictured the effects taking place in her and [Y/N]’s bodies while dreaming of one day learning that her love was mutual.

Laughter is associated with the positive sides of love that partners share.

The initial stress of a relationship can cause physical symptoms similar to a heart attack, known as Broken Heart syndrome.

Different stages of love exist, with different reactions at the start of a relationship that are different from the ones that they feel when it is a long-term romantic attachment.

Being in love alters our personality and perception of things. We can become more open to things that our lover is into, or we may even become more optimistic about things.

Love leads to the deactivation of the amygdala in the brain, which regulates fear. Thus, you are less scared of outcomes and consequences when in love. You experience a fearlessness and bravery that you wouldn’t usually feel.

Gleefully, Daniela squealed in excitement over all of the new information greeting her. She continued reading, wondering if [Y/N] had ever felt any of these things while around her. She had certainly felt the intensity of her feelings anytime she so much as thought of the girl. Had [Y/N] felt the same?

The urge to share these interesting facts with her family grew stronger in her body. Maybe if she brought it up with her sisters and told them of how she wanted to use the information to finally confess to [Y/N], they would encourage her and help her do so.

Quickly, she stood from her spot on the small sofa. She spun on her heel and practically skipped towards the doors, softly closing the book and tucking it under her arm after folding the corner of the last page she had read. She flung the doors open in front of her, then tugged them shut before letting the lower half of her body swarm back into the flies that made up her being, allowing her to float above the ground and travel quickly down the hall. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to find Bela or Cassandra first. She had heard them come back home a while before, though she wasn’t aware of where they were.

Bela was likely in her study going over the paperwork her mother had given to her, and Cassandra was without a doubt in the armory crafting her newest weapon with the metals she had purchased from the Duke back in the Village. It would be far easier to visit Cassandra first, seen as how she was the closest.

Daniela made her way through the doorway that led to the hallway connecting the main hall’s stairway to the Wine Room. She slid past the balcony, brushing past the maids that seemed to cower back a bit at her presence. She then hooked a right at the end of the walkway, then a left, and went through a few more doors before finally reaching the armory. Just as she had assumed, Cassandra was in there, working away at designing a new dagger she would be able to add to her personal collection. She sat atop the crates stacked against the main pillar in the center of the room. A pen in hand, she sketched out her idea onto a sheet of paper that sat propped up in her lap. She used a thin sheet of wood as a surface to draw on.

She seemed not to have noticed her younger sister walk into the room, and Daniela smiled to herself. She lurked forward silently and hid behind the crates, peering out over the top. With a silent chuckle, she moved to float just behind her sister, sucking in a small breath and readying herself to yell in an attempt to startle her sister.

“Don’t even think about it, Dani,” Cassandra warned without glancing in her direction, continuing to focus on her newest blueprint in front of her instead. Daniela let out the breath she had been holding through a loud sigh, pouting as she crossed her arms and flew to stand in front of her sister. “You’re no fun,” she murmured. “I am so. I’m just working on something. Plus, I don’t think you realize that I was able to hear the door open and close when you came in.”

“It could’ve been Bela or a maid that came in! Why would you assume it was me?”

“Well, Bela wouldn’t have tried to creep up on me, she would’ve waited at the doorway and said my name or cleared her throat to catch my attention. And the maids know they aren’t allowed in here, especially if I’m already here, unless I ask them to polish the armor. I knew it was you. And either way, I could smell you coming from down the hall.”

“H-Huh?”

“Your perfume, Daniela. It’s so strong all the time. Makes me wanna pinch my nose shut every time so I don’t have to smell it. God, are you trying to cover up the smell of all the blood and death on you? Because if you are, it’s not working.”

Daniela could feel her face burning, the blush that had already begun to form on her cheeks out of embarrassment now creeping up onto the tips of her ears. She felt her shoulders tensing up, the grip on both her book and her arm tightening to a painful degree. “Th-That’s not true! I’m not trying to hide anything with my perfume!” She scowled and stared at Cassandra for a moment, although her gaze was not met. Her sister continued to stare down at her sketches, though there was a cocky grin plastered on her face. Daniela scoffed and shook her head.

“That doesn’t matter,” she started again, tugging the book out from under her arm as she once again looked up at her sister. “I wanted to show you this book! It’s full of all kinds of facts about the human body and mind, and I finally got to the part about how love affects the body, and I wanted to–” “I’m not interested, Daniela. I’m busy. And besides, you’re the only one who cares about all of this romance stuff this much. The rest of us are perfectly fine with keeping it to ourselves.”

Daniela frowned, her enthusiasm beginning to crumble in a very visible way. She thought for a moment about what she could say to capture her sister’s attention. “W-Well, I know you don’t really care for my interest in romance novels, b-but I think you’d like the rest of the book! It’s–”

“Daniela, I’m not interested. I don’t care what the rest of the book is about, I don’t want to hear it. If you’re only going to pester me with this when you know I’m busy, then just leave.”

Daniela’s frown only deepened, her gaze dropping down to the floor. “I-I’m…not meaning to bother you, Cass. I’m sorry. I just wanted to share it with someone, and you were the closest one to me, so…” She turned her attention to the book still waiting to be opened again in her trembling hands. She absolutely hated the feeling of being a burden to anyone. Before she could get too deep into her head, however, she began heading towards the door again. Perhaps Bela would be more accepting of her excitement.

She retraced the trail she had taken to find the armory, though she flew downstairs into the main parlor instead. Her arms tugged the book closer to her chest as she soared all the way to Bela’s personal study. There, she made sure to knock before entering.

“Who is it?” Bela asked softly from the other side of the door. “It’s just me,” Daniela replied. Bela sighed. “Come in.” After the confirmation that she could come in, Daniela opened the door and headed inside before closing it behind her. She spun around and walked over to Bela’s desk, where her eldest sister was working away, already buried in paperwork again. “What do you need, Dani? Is something wrong?” Bela briefly glanced up at her before shuffling a few papers, letting out a small sigh when she found the paper she was seemingly looking for.

The youngest daughter stood next to the desk and stared at Bela patiently. “N-No, nothing is wrong. I just…wanted to know if I could share something with you.” The blonde grumbled something under her breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she leaned back against her chair. “As long as it’s made brief, yes.” Daniela’s frown returned. “Oh, well…” She tapped the front cover of her book, catching Bela’s attention. “Not exactly something brief, but I thought you might like to hear about it. You know…just in case you decide you want something to read later on down the line.”

Bela sighed again, running both of her hands down her face. “Dani, you know I would usually have no issue with you talking to me about your stories, but,” she was cut off as Daniela leaned forward and interrupted her. “But it’s not a story this time! It’s a whole book filled with fun facts about the human body! I think you’ll really like it.”

“Look, that sounds interesting, I suppose. But I’m really busy, and I need to get all of this finished before the end of the week. Which is in three days, mind you, in case you weren’t already aware.” Bela slid forward again and picked up a smaller stack of documents tucked away in files. She thumbed through them, checking the labels for what she was searching for. “If you really must share it with someone, go find Cassandra instead.”

“I already did though. She said I was just irritating her and that I needed to leave while she works on her new weapon. I figured maybe you’d be more interested in it.” Daniela grimaced at a thought that made itself known in the front of her mind. “I’m not…bothering you, am I?” Bela looked up at her finally. “Listen, you know I don’t enjoy being blunt with you, but quite frankly, yes, you’re bothering me. These papers are very important, Dani. I have to focus on them right now.”

Again, Daniela’s confidence began to crumble. Even more so when her sister once again turned back to her work as if it were far more important than her. “Oh, I-I’m…I’m sorry.” She began to back away, unable to tear her eyes away from her feet as they led her backwards. “I didn’t mean to,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

She twirled back to face the door, slipping through it and leaving abruptly. She could feel her insecurities eating away at her self esteem. Tears began to form and prick the corners of her eyes. She let out a small sniffle and began to head out towards the courtyard. “Perhaps mother will listen to me.”

She traveled all the way through the large, open space, grateful that the weather permitted her to do so peacefully. She made it to the structure connected to the space just across the dining room, floating up the stairs, through the doorway, and then turning to go up yet another set of stairs. She then took a few more turns before finally making it to her mother’s chambers. She pressed her ear to the door, smiling weakly when she heard her mother moving around on the other side.

Swiftly, Daniela knocked on the door. “Yes?” Her mother questioned, her tone professional in case it was a maid. “It’s just me, mother. May I come in?” “Of course, dear. Just try to keep your voice down.” Daniela was confused by the last part of her mother’s statement, but she still turned the door’s handle and pushed it forward, allowing her to step inside. She smiled, though it quickly dropped once she saw that Alcina was on the phone, likely with Mother Miranda again.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, mother. Is this a bad time?” Alcina glanced over at her softly for a moment, though quickly sighed and furrowed her brow. “No, Daniela, it’s not–ah, yes, Mother Miranda. I’m aware. I can assure you that everything will go accordingly.” Daniela made no move to step further, already sensing that she was becoming a burden to yet another one of her loved ones. “I’ll leave you be. I-I’ll see you during dinner,” she mumbled just loud enough for her mother to hear.

She turned and left the room just as Alcina looked back over at her again. “Daniela, wait.” Another sigh. “Mother Miranda, I understand. Yes, I know how important this is to you.”

The entire time she had tried to share her interest in this new book she found, Daniela had been fighting back tears. With each way of saying that she was only being a nuisance, her confidence faltered before shattering into pieces. Now, after bottling it up for so long in hopes of being able to change her attitude, she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down her face as she rushed back up to her room, locking her door and crawling up against the pillows on her bed.

Until she managed to think things through and calm down, Daniela intended to hide away in the comfort of her bedroom. She wiped at her face, scolding herself for being so emotional for such a ridiculous reason. Her family was simply busy doing their own things–they didn’t owe her the time of day.

But she wanted so badly to share something she was so passionate about with someone. Her excitement had blinded her to the fact that she truly was burdening the others as they tried to work. They were all doing important things, and she was curled up on her bed, sobbing because she wasn’t able to keep the attention on her?

How pathetic.

How selfish.

She sucked in a shaky breath, trying desperately to bring her crying to a halt. It failed, however, as another sob wracked through her body. She whimpered, feeling as though she truly was weak since she wasn’t even able to keep a straight face. She shifted and turned on the bed, burying her face in her pillow as she tossed the book onto the floor. Maybe the plush surface beneath her would muffle the sounds of her vulnerability.

“Lady Daniela? Will you be joining your family for dinner anytime soon? They’ve asked me to see if you’ll come down.” “No, I’m not going to eat dinner tonight. I-I, um…Just really want to finish my book. Tell them I’ll find something to eat later, will you?” “Of course.”

It had been a few hours since Daniela’s meltdown. She had finally managed to stop crying within the first hour of hiding away, though she still felt too depressed to leave her room. Dinner had been ready for over half an hour at that point, yet she was the only one not to have joined her family downstairs to eat. It surprised her mother, as she was usually the first one seated, always eager to see what the kitchen staff had prepared for their meal that night. She had sent a maid up to her youngest daughter’s room four times, asking them to encourage her to come down and join them, even though Bela and Cassandra were already finished eating.

The two waited patiently at the table per their mother’s request, although they also wanted to use the time spent at dinner to apologize to Daniela for the way they treated her. They both felt guilty for it and spoke to each other about how they could make it up to her. When she didn’t join them at the table, however, they could feel their regret growing stronger. They often poked fun at her for different things, but Daniela knew it was all in good fun. She knew they didn’t really mean anything by it.

They were sisters, after all, and they even mocked each other at different points. Most of the time she would laugh at their jokes aimed in her direction. They must’ve really hurt her for her not to at least come downstairs long enough to eat dinner with them.

After waiting another half hour, they decided that it was best to give her a bit of space before they tried to properly apologize for what they had done. They left the dining room. Alcina, however, continued to wait there for her youngest to show up. She never did, and after yet another hour, Alcina headed upstairs to her own room to retire for the night. She knew her daughter likely needed time to herself, especially after Bela and Cassandra explained what had happened. In the morning, she’d make sure to check in on her daughter personally and apologize to her herself.

All the while, Daniela remained in bed, staring blankly at the wall the side of her bed was pressed up against. Her eyes were dull, straining as she fought to stay awake. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t letting herself fall asleep. She knew she’d feel better if she got a bit of rest, but for some reason she just wouldn’t let her eyes stay closed.

Her mind was swarming with all kinds of negative thoughts, none of which managed to do anything but dampen her mood even further. She must’ve lied there for hours in absolute silence. Everyone else, including the maids, had already gone to bed, which is why it was such a surprise when a knock sounded from her door. She nearly jumped out of her own skin. A loud yelp slipped past her lips as she jolted upright and felt her head whip towards the direction of the door.

Who could that possibly be? Surely her sisters weren’t up at this hour. It was long past midnight, and although she knew the two of them were more insomniatic than she was, she could tell from the way that silence followed the knock that it wasn’t them. Still, her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to decipher the scent.

“Wh-Who is it?” She asked shakily.

“It’s me, Daniela,” [Y/N] responded from the other side of the door. “Is it alright if I come in?” Daniela’s heart began to race even faster, though it was for a different reason now. Why was [Y/N] the only one who came to check in on her herself? Perhaps she cared more for Daniela than her own family did. She hesitated, her mind telling her she’ll only be a burden to the woman she loved so dearly. Ignoring those cruel thoughts, she wiped her face and straightened out her dress. “Yes, come on in,” she finally said at length.

Slowly, the door creaked open to reveal [Y/N], who peered in through the dim lighting the candles from the hallway managed to provide. “What’s up?” Daniela asked softly, watching as the young woman closed her bedroom door and walked over to her bed. She sat on the edge of it and gazed over at her. Even with how dark her room was, Daniela was able to see the concerned look on [Y/N]’s face. “I heard about what happened today. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Daniela smiled weakly, her heart pounding against her ribs once more. She glanced down at her lap, tugging her gloves off and tossing them to the side to pick at her nails. Her palms flipped downwards to desperately try to wipe the sweat onto the fabric of her dress. “I-I’m fine,” she mumbled in reply, her voice almost inaudible. [Y/N] shifted on the bed, the mattress suddenly sinking down next to Daniela as she sat beside her. “C’mon, you and I both know that’s not true. I can see it on your face. And in your body language. You’re upset. You don’t have to hide it. You don’t have to tell me about anything, but I can promise you I won’t judge you for whatever it is you’re upset about.”

Now, as her lip began to quiver for the first time in hours, Daniela managed to peer over at her from the corner of her eye. She tried to maintain her composure, though it was quick to falter as [Y/N] held out her arms and gazed at her with those damned eyes. “C’mere.”

Without meaning to, Daniela whimpered and practically seemed to lunge forward as she dove into [Y/N]’s embrace, letting her face bury itself into the smaller woman’s shoulder as she let out a small sob. She wasn’t entirely sure what it was about this girl that made her feel so safe, other than her love for her. Something about the way [Y/N]’s eyes always seemed to show a sign of trust and never held any judgment made Daniela feel as though she could confide in her about anything.

[Y/N] was quick to rock her back and forth, her fingers gently stroking the unshaven side of the redhead’s messy hair and scratching soothingly at her scalp. “Everything is going to be okay, Dani. And they didn’t tell me to say anything, but your sisters and mother are very sorry for whatever it was that they did to you. Believe me. I was able to see it on their faces during dinner.” Daniela sniffled softly and tilted her head to peer up at [Y/N].

“You were there during dinner?” [Y/N] nodded down at her with a soft grin. “Yes. I was also…” She seemed to hesitate, worried about something. Daniela straightened up at this to look her in the eye. “What is it?” “Ah, I just–I was also there in the room with Bela earlier when you tried to show her your book. I heard what happened.” A soft shade of crimson dusted Daniela’s cheeks as she turned her head away in embarrassment. “Oh, I didn’t even realize. I-I’m sorry you had to see me act that way.” “What way?” “Like a spoiled brat. I-I sounded like I just wanted attention, didn’t I?”

Gently, [Y/N]’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “No, not at all. I can understand being upset about not being able to share something you’re passionate about, and I could clearly tell you were passionate about the book you were carrying.”

Daniela looked back up at her again, slightly surprised. “You don’t think I was being pathetic?” “No, not at all! I’d probably react the same way, honestly.”

Daniela smiled and hummed after a moment. She crossed her legs and returned to where she had originally been sitting on her bed, staring down at her lap. “Th-Thank you for not judging me,” she murmured quietly at length. “It really does mean a lot.” Her head lifted so she could once again look [Y/N] in the eyes, her smile never faltering, and instead growing. “Anytime, Dani,” came the smaller woman’s reply. They gazed at each other for a while, not realizing it.

Suddenly, a look of pure confusion riddled Daniela’s face. “Wait, if you were in the room with Bela when I came in earlier, then how did you not know what I was upset about? And…why did it seem like you didn’t know about any of it until my family “told you?””

Again, a look of anxiousness crossed [Y/N]’s features. She averted her gaze and began to fidget with her fingers. “A-Ah, well, I just didn’t want you to know I had listened to what happened. I thought you might be mad at me for it.” Daniela stared at her, bewildered, but quickly smiled and chuckled. “I could never be mad at you. Especially not over something like that.” She took [Y/N]’s hand into her own and gently caressed the back of it with her thumb.

Daniela sighed in relief. The noises pounding in her mind began to soften, finally feeling at ease for the first time in hours.

“Oh!”

She jumped at that, her heart stuttering in surprise as she quickly turned her attention back to [Y/N], who looked excited now.

“Speaking of that book, I was actually going to ask if you could show me some of the facts you were trying to talk about!” An unusually wide smile cracked across Daniela’s lips, almost to a painful degree. “You’d really be interested in that? And you’d pay attention?” [Y/N] nodded with a look of pure intrigue. “Yeah, of course! I managed to spot the cover of the book while you were in the room. It’s about the human body, right?”

Daniela nodded, quickly flying over to where she had tossed the book to pick it up before returning to the bed. “Yep! The first half is really really boring, but the rest of it is really cool! I love the part about how love and romance affects the body so far.” [Y/N] giggled at her and reached over to the nightstand to light a candle. “I figured as much. That’s very in-character for you,” she replied softly, making Daniela blush.

“Is that a bad thing?” She questioned sheepishly. “No, of course not. It’s actually one of the things I love most about you.” Daniela’s face burned even brighter, and she secretly scolded herself, trying to force the blush to die down before the candle lit up the small space next to them.

“Oh, Daniela. Did that new book you were talking about finally make it in?” Bela asked from the sofa in the front parlor, Cassandra’s head perking up at this. The youngest of the three beamed brightly over at them and chuckled. “Yeah, it did.” Her two older sisters smiled back at her. “Would you want us to read it with you?”

Daniela eyed them for a moment, though her expression quickly changed before they could notice. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I was actually planning on reading it with [Y/N] first! She’s in the library right now: I told her to wait there for me while I grabbed the book from the Duke’s shop.” She hummed and swarmed up, flying all the way across the property to the library, where she found [Y/N] waiting for her on her favorite sofa.

Similar to the way she had been doing almost all day everyday, Daniela smiled wide, squealing from excitement and catching [Y/N]’s attention, who turned to her and grinned in return, waving at her. “Dani, hey! Did you get the book?”

With an enthusiastic nod, Daniela soared over to the sofa and plopped herself down next to [Y/N], leaning against the armrest. “Sure did! Volume two of fun facts over the human body.” She pulled the book from underneath her arm and swayed it back and forth with a teasing smirk. She then set it up against her lap and flipped open the front cover. Bringing her closed hand up to cover her mouth, she cleared her throat, then began to read the story aloud.

As she spoke, she got lost in the words. She hardly noticed as [Y/N] shifted on the cushion in front of her. She was made aware of her movement, however, once the smaller woman leaned against her shoulder to read the words on the pages as well.

Her voice shook and cracked in surprise, her confidence in the words she spoke beginning to waver as she stared down at [Y/N]. “U-Um, are you alright?” She looked up at Daniela in confusion. “Yeah, of course,” was her soft reply. “Just wanted to get cozy, y’know?” Uncharacteristically, Daniela grew sheepish. She was often the one who made a bold move to fluster others–she wasn’t used to someone else doing it to her, let alone the woman she loved.

“Y-Yeah,” was all she could mutter, forcing herself to tear her gaze away and focus back on the words decorating the pages. She continued to read it aloud, though she wasn’t able to comprehend anything she read. This continued for a long while, and finally she was able to get back into a more confident headspace. Her attention to the facts returned.

A gentle yawn sounded from Daniela’s shoulder, prompting her to look down at the source. [Y/N] rubbed her eyes before letting them flutter shut. She sighed as she nuzzled back up further into Daniela’s shoulder. Her nose gently bumped against her neck. The redhead shuttered, causing her breath to halt for a moment. How long had they been reading together? Surely it couldn’t have been that long.

She turned her head to glance up at the skylight, finding that the sky above was growing darker, almost pitch black. “Oh, I hadn’t even realized we’d been here all day. Sorry about that, [Y/N]. Should I carry you back to your room?” [Y/N] shook her head after a moment, seemingly already halfway asleep. “No, I’m fine. This is really comfortable. You can keep reading if you’d like.” Daniela smiled softly down at her and nodded. She shifted her arm to tuck it underneath [Y/N]’s torso and pull her closer, using her free hand to flip the pages of the book as she read silently to herself.

Another hour must’ve passed before Daniela finally finished the book. “Man, it’s much faster to read something in my head than out loud,” she whispered to herself, closing the cover and gently placing the book on the ground next to the sofa. She yawned and sighed, glancing back over at [Y/N]. Her eyes were shut, her breathing and heartbeat slow and steady. Daniela grinned and absentmindedly pressed a gentle kiss to the top of the woman’s head. She couldn’t see it, but her pupils were blown from the love and admiration traveling throughout her body.

“I’m glad you’re asleep,” she started. “I-I promise I’ll tell you this to your face when you’re actually…y’know, conscious–when I can find the courage–but…I love you, [Y/N]. You’ve cheered me up countless times, especially these past few weeks. You’ve always made me laugh and made sure I knew that you were actually paying attention to me. You make sure I know you’re actually interested in what I have to say, and that really does mean the world to me.

“I hope I can help you feel the same way. There are so many things I never want you to have to experience, but feeling useless, or ignored, or…like you’re a burden is definitely one of the major ones. If you ever feel like you have no one else to go to, I just want you to know that I’m here.”

She giggled to herself, running a hand through her hair and then down her face. “I want to keep telling you about how much I love you and why I do, but I feel like I should save all of it for when you’re actually awake to hear all of it. I want you to know just how much you mean to me. Though, that’ll be hard to explain since you mean the world–no, more than the world to me.”

Finally, she let herself relax, leaning back against the armrest and closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face if she tried. Again, just like she had done multiple times over the past few weeks, Daniela jumped. [Y/N] seemed to be unnaturally good at catching her off guard. She wasn’t sure if she was proud of that or not.

“Aww, Dani, that’s so sweet,” she mumbled. Daniela’s eyes shot down to her still resting against her shoulder, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. “H-How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it.”

Daniela whined in embarrassment. She used her free hand to hide her reddened face, mumbling things under her breath. [Y/N] giggled at her reaction, one arm moving to wrap around the redhead’s torso and pull her closer. Her face nuzzled against Daniela’s collarbone as she smiled and sighed. “But…I love you too. I want you to know that.”

For what must’ve been the fifth time that evening alone, Daniela’s head whipped back around to let her stare at [Y/N]. “You do…?” She whispered, her voice once again cracking as tears unwillingly began to prick her eyes.

“Of course I do. How could I not?” [Y/N] said it like it was the most obvious thing on earth. She really found it odd that Daniela was surprised about her feelings being mutual?

Daniela’s lip quivered. Slowly, she shifted onto her side to fully face [Y/N], who finally opened her eyes to gaze up at her. The smile that caressed her lips so beautifully only made Daniela’s heart flutter. “Could…you say that again?” [Y/N] smiled.

“Yes. I’ll say it to you as many times as you’d like. I love you, Dani.”

She leaned up and began to pepper the woman’s face and head with kisses, whispering a faint “I love you” with each one.

Daniela finally let out a small laugh mixed with a sob. She leaned forward and pulled [Y/N] closer. [Y/N] smiled down at her, shifting up a bit further to comfortably pull the weeping girl into her chest. Her fingers raked through the red locks that rested against the armrest, lulling Daniela further into a sense of security and bliss. “I’ll always be here for you, okay? Anything you need, I’m here: I’ll be here to listen, pay attention, make you laugh, and love you. Just like you said to me, if you ever feel like no one else is there, just know I’ll be waiting for you with open arms.”

Tears soaked through [Y/N]’s shirt, though she didn’t mind. She could feel Daniela smiling broadly against her clothed skin, and that made everything feel like it was worth it.

One-Sided

[The Owl House] Boscha x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.82k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Pure angst: one-sided love, a small fight at the end between Amity and Boscha, toxic (?) friendships, language.

[A/N]: Final story for Boscha for now. It might take a while for me to upload again, but it's because I've got multiple drafts already written for several other characters that I need to finish.

Enjoy!

 “Amity, look at Boscha,” Skara whispered with a knowing smirk as she nudged Amity’s shoulder to gain her attention. Amity, who had been staring down blankly at her book, unable to study with all the nearby commotion, huffed and flipped the cover shut. She lifted her head to glance up at Skara, then followed where she was pointing. From surprise, her eyebrows raised. “Did she forget that other people are around?” She replied just as quietly. Even from her angle at her seat in the middle of her group’s cafeteria table, Amity was able to watch as Boscha held up her scroll.

She had been asked to take a picture of a few people, one of which was [Y/N] [L/N], the girl everyone knew Boscha had fallen for. She had her camera up on her screen, but it was very clear that she had zoomed in to get a visible shot of [Y/N] instead. A soft crimson managed to dust itself across the witch’s features as she bit back a smile. Before she turned her scroll to show the group, she snapped a much quicker photo after carelessly zooming back out in an attempt to hide what she had just done. [Y/N] grinned upon seeing the group photo and thanked her. She asked Boscha to send her the photo before she sat back down at the table across from Amity.

Boscha enthusiastically agreed and typed away on her screen. Within seconds, [Y/N]’s phone went off to show she had done as requested. She grinned up at the taller girl, whose face reddened even further as she giddily took a seat next to her. “Thanks!” “Yeah, no problem.”

Curiously, Amity cocked an eyebrow at her. When Boscha turned and made eye contact, she seemed awkward about something–almost as if she was wanting to ask a question. Instead, she turned to the surface of the table in front of her, her gaze landing on a drink she had brought in with her a few moments ago. With a small breath to steel her spiked nerves, she slid the drink over to [Y/N], who glanced over at it with confusion.

“I heard you liked that drink from a few people, so I figured I’d get it for you.” The grin she was met with as a reply made her own lips stretch up into a wide smile. “Oh, thanks! You didn’t have to do that.” “It was no problem, really.” Almost immediately, [Y/N] took a sip from the small cup, humming happily in satisfaction once she placed it back down.

Amity could see how Boscha got lost in a daze–much like the ones she found herself in once Luz arrived in the Demon Realm. The three-eyed witch’s gaze softened, a small smirk playing at her lips again as she continued to stare at [Y/N], who had turned away a bit to strike up a conversation with Amelia and Kat once they questioned the drink. Happily, [Y/N] explained to them that Boscha had bought the drink for her out of the kindness in her heart, to which the other girls glanced at each other. “That’s awfully sweet of you, Boscha,” Kat snickered. Boscha hadn’t even paid attention to the conversation, which was evident from the way she blinked at the sound of her name and finally managed to tear her eyes away from the girl sitting next to her. “Huh?”

Stifled chuckles were her response. She glanced at them in confusion, but ultimately shrugged it off and turned her attention back to [Y/N]. Amity pretended to open her book to continue reading, but she kept her hearing focused on what Boscha said, all the way up to where the bell rang. She had pretty much been talking about nothing at first, but eventually asked [Y/N] if she’d be at her “big Grudgby game” in a few days.

[Y/N] assured her she would be and started packing up her things from the table. She stood to toss her empty tray into the bin once the bell went off, then slugged her backpack onto her shoulders, still sipping from the drink Boscha had gotten her. She waved to the table and told them she’d see them at lunch. Before she could make it to the cafeteria door, however, Boscha practically bolted up from her own seat and darted over to catch up to the smaller girl, offering to walk her to her class.

No one at the table saw it, but they all knew [Y/N] had accepted her offer.

A groan of pure annoyance slipped past Skara and Amity’s lips as they tried their best to tune out Boscha’s words. All day every day, for the past several days, Boscha had been talking almost nonstop about [Y/N]. It only worsened after the final Grudgby match of the season, where she had shamelessly tried to flirt with [Y/N] after meeting up with her after the game. She messed up each line she tried to use, but didn’t mind it when the sound of [Y/N]’s sweet giggles met her in reply. It was hard for her team to witness, only because they had never seen Boscha act that way around anyone before.

That, and they weren’t sure how to let her know that [Y/N] wasn't interested in her in that way.

On top of the entire match being awkward, it had been clear that Boscha was trying to show off the entire time. More than she usually did, anyway. This time it was obvious why she was doing it. It wasn’t because she wanted to intimidate her opponents, nor was it because she wanted to impress her own team. Instead, she was showing off to an extreme because she wanted to catch a certain girl’s eye. She hadn’t been so aggressive during the first round, but that almost instantly changed once she finally spotted [Y/N] in the bleachers cheering her on.

Today seemed to be worse than the others. From the moment she walked in the building, Boscha had been talking nonstop about her, all but gushing about how incredible of a person she was. “Oh my Titan. Boscha, could we please talk about something else? Anything else? Anything at all,” Skara whined as the three of them sat down at their table for lunch. “Yeah,” Amity started, equally as exhausted, “I know I was pretty bad when I first started crushing on Luz, but I knew when to stop talking about her the way you’re talking about [Y/N]. I mean, talking about a conversation or a game or something is one thing, but the way you’re pouring out compliments left and right is kind of… tiring.”

“Yeah. Plus, there’s no way you have a chance with her,” Skara muttered, thinking no one had heard her. Amity stiffened in her seat, her breath hitching as her head snapped over to glare at her and her hand lifted to smack her arm. Upon realizing what she had said wasn’t just heard by herself, Skara gasped silently and covered her mouth, wishing she could take her words back. No one in the group had the heart to break the news to Boscha. They didn’t want to either.

Ever since [Y/N] had torn down her walls, Boscha started to soften up and take on a much kinder approach when dealing with others. They didn’t want her to find out the truth and revert back to her old ways. They were proud of her for showing she was willing to change for the better, and they didn’t want to ruin it for her or anyone else.

Boscha frowned as she turned to them. “What do you mean? Wouldn’t she tell me if she wasn’t interested? I’m pretty sure it’s clear to her what I’m doing. I mean, it’s obvious to everyone else, apparently.” She grimaced and looked down at her hands, watching as she tapped away at the backs of her hands with her nails. “I thought I was hiding it well, honestly.” Amity sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, mentally preparing herself for the conversation she knew she couldn’t avoid any longer. Silently, she turned to Skara and gave a small motion, to which Skara nodded and stood, slipping away to another table and making sure the others left them alone.

“Boscha, I have to be honest with you. I can’t see you do this to yourself any longer. Just… promise me you won’t freak out and make a scene, okay?” Now, with her expression entirely riddled and contorted with confusion, Boscha could only nod. She subconsciously felt her hand sneak up to toy with the charms on her bracelet–the one that [Y/N] had given to her as a thank you for her first gift after stumbling into the Isles.

Letting out a shaky exhale, Amity pulled out her scroll and clicked onto a specific conversation she’d had with [Y/N] about a week or two prior. Upon finding it, she turned it around for Boscha to see, watching as she scanned through the messages. A nervous chuckle escaped her throat as she gripped at her charms tightly now. “Wh-What is this?” Amity frowned. “You know what it is, Boscha. These are texts between [Y/N] and myself. And, based on your reaction, you read the whole thing.” The taller witch now averted her gaze and dipped her head down to hide her face, staring at her lap.

Attempting to comfort her, Amity placed her hand on Boscha’s shoulder, only for it to be shrugged off. “I’m sorry, Boscha. I figured you would’ve found out for yourself, but I guess you were too focused on how you felt for her instead.” She waited, staring expectantly at her for some kind of reaction. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“She already likes someone else.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Amity could only watch as Boscha trembled before forcing herself to stand. She picked up her bag and finally looked back at the youngest Blight, whose eyes widened only a fraction once seeing how dull Boscha’s eyes now seemed to be. “Tell the rest of the teachers that I wasn’t feeling good, alright? I’m going home.” She nodded as an answer and frowned as her eyes followed Boscha leaving the room.

She glanced back over at Skara, who was already looking over at her. Her features crinkled with concern, a sign she wanted to know what happened. Amity huffed, ran her hands down her face, then moved to join her and the others at the other table to explain.

 Nearly a month had passed since Boscha was made aware of [Y/N]’s feelings for someone else. For the first two weeks, she tried to move past it and pretend she was still fine. She wanted others to think she was mature enough to understand it wasn’t the end of the world. She knew it wasn’t, logically speaking, but it felt so much like everything was crumbling around her. She had been trying to change herself for [Y/N], hoping to catch her eye, only for it to all fall apart.

Amity tried to tell her that she shouldn’t have been trying to better herself just to impress someone, but quickly stopped bringing it up after seeing how distraught Boscha seemed at the mere mention of anything that had happened. [Y/N] hadn’t been made aware of anything, although she thought Boscha knew anyway. She could still sense something was wrong, however, and slowly shifted where she sat in the cafeteria to give the witch some space. Ultimately, she ended up sitting at the table Luz shared with Willow and Gus.

It only sent Boscha spiraling further. Soon enough, she started to hide from the others during the times they’d usually meet up. During breakfast and lunch at school, she’d eat in the auditorium, out by the Grudgby field, or would skip eating altogether. Anytime Skara or Kat tried to invite her to hang out with them like they used to, she’d come up with some excuse to stay home.

As much as she hated teenage angst, and as much as she knew she was likely being overdramatic, Boscha couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. Her world seemed to shatter around her. She eventually stopped attending Grudgby practices and matches, only showing up when absolutely necessary to avoid getting kicked off of the team. To add insult to injury, because of her absences, she was demoted from Team Captain, the role instead being given to Skara.

It made it harder for her to keep attending classes or practice, even after Skara offered to ask the coach to give her the role back. Boscha denied it and told her she’d give the team a better chance anyway before ghosting her again, the same way she had been doing to everyone. It became rare for anyone to get a response from her. Most of the time, she could be found lying face up on her bed, her eyes blank and dull as she mindlessly stared up at the ceiling. She knew her social life was ruined, and she knew she needed to start moving on, but even a small glimpse of [Y/N] or something that reminded her of the girl had her curling up and away from the outside world all over again.

Amity and the others had to start bringing her the schoolwork she had missed, much to the dismay of their teachers. They eased up, however, once being made aware of the situation. They sympathized with her, but still continued to tell her she needed to try to keep up. After all, a love life wouldn’t get you anywhere in life. You needed to focus only on your future career, and that included any work that was involved. That’s what Amity’s mother, Odalia, had been saying anyway.

Amity eventually stopped bringing the events up around her family. Boscha had enough on her plate. She didn’t need her mother complaining to Boscha’s moms about it–that would only lead to them bombarding her with endless questions and unintentionally making her feel more guilty.

One day, Boscha seemed a little more hopeful than she had been. She came back to school and managed to make it throughout the whole day, attending each of her classes and even participating as much as she could. When Amity asked if she was feeling better, Boscha grinned, though it was clear it was forced. “Not exactly,” she muttered. She yawned, the lack of sleep visibly getting to her. “But I think there’s still a chance.”

Before Amity could ask what she meant, the final bell of the day rang, echoing down the halls to announce the dismissal. Boscha almost immediately headed out the door and hopped onto her staff once making it outside the building. She flew off. Amity sighed and looked over at the now empty seat next to her, spotting Boscha’s bag still resting on the ground.

She picked it up and carried it in front of her as she walked out to place her books in her locker. Once making it there, she gently let the bag settle on the ground in front of her, then tugging her books out from her own backpack and tucking them away in the large maw of her locker. “Amity, hey!” Luz called out, joining her over towards the wall. “Whose bag is this? I saw you carrying it over here. Is it some kind of collection of yours? Maybe like the ones Eda has piled up everywhere?”

Softly, Amity laughed at her excitedly laced words and shook her head. “No, no, nothing like that. It’s Boscha’s bag. She left it in class by accident.” Luz tilted her head, now concerned. “She forgot her whole bag? Jeez.” A short moment passed. She wanted to think ahead of how Amity might react to her next question. “Is she okay? She’s been seeming so… down lately.” The witch’s frown returned, and she shrugged. “Yeah, I know. She’s not doing so well. I can’t exactly talk about it, but she’s pretty heartbroken right now.”

Luz nodded, not wanting to pry any further. She glanced back down at the bag again. “Are you gonna bring this to her tonight? I know it’s the weekend now, but I’m sure she has plenty of work to catch up on. Kinda hard to do that without all of her folders and binders.” Amity nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to go give it back after dinner. I want to message her to let her know ahead of time so I don’t just show up unannounced.”

Amity knocked on Boscha’s door urgently, the bag she had tugged along the entire flight there long forgotten. She had messaged Boscha after dinner, just as she had told Luz she would do, only to receive a response for her to get there immediately. “Boscha? Are you alright?” She reached to twist the doorknob, only for it to rattle and rotate from the other side. She jumped and stepped back a bit once the door swung open.

Amity couldn’t help but gasp at Boscha’s appearance: hair tangled and matted, clothes wrinkled and messily thrown on, and tears streaking rapidly down her face. “Amity,” she choked out between sobs, instantly pulling her into the room and tugging her into a tight hug. Her body trembled with each cry and whimper that wracked throughout her body. She eventually collapsed to the ground, Amity barely managing to catch her.

“Boscha, what happened?” A much louder chain of weeping erupted from the three-eyed girl, making Amity’s heart stop for a moment. What had happened in the span of a few hours that had left her so devastated? “I fucked it up. I fucked everything up,” she finally responded after a moment.

“What do you mean? What did you mess up?”

Finally, Boscha pulled back from the embrace, summoning her scroll and clicking on her most recent conversation. She continued to sob as she handed it to Amity, who read through everything quickly. “Oh… Boscha, I’m–” “She rejected me. I finally managed to tell her how I feel, and she told me she didn’t see me that way: she doesn’t love me. That she loves someone else and–a-and,” she stopped mid-stutter before she could choke on her ragged breathing.

“And wants to confess to them and ask them out,” Amity finished for her. Boscha hunched over, now letting her head press against the rough, wooden floorboards beneath her, her arms flying up to cover herself. Another cry slipped through, though it was far weaker, her shoulders finally slumping with defeat. “I shouldn’t have said anything to her,” she managed to whisper after a long moment. Amity had no idea what to say. She could only stare down at her friend with tears pricking her own eyes and blurring her vision.

She tucked the scroll away to let the only source of light dwindle off before lifting Boscha enough to take her into her arms. Soft words of affirmation managed to leave her lips as she rubbed soothingly at her back. “It’ll be okay, Boscha. I promise it will. These things just take time to heal from. I know you can do it, though.”

Gently, she lifted Boscha’s head to look her in the eye as best as she could. “You have me and Skara, and I’m sure Amelia and Kat wouldn’t mind helping you through this too. We aren’t going to leave you to deal with this on your own.” Boscha sniffled, straightening her back a bit to sit up. She wiped at her wet eyes, though more tears spilled soon after.

“But I don’t want to do it without her. I don’t want to do anything without her.”

Amity nodded with a small sigh. “I know. But you can still do it either way. I know you don’t want to, but just give it a chance, okay?”

Boscha’s eyes flickered back and forth for a bit, as if reading a script. A concoction of emotions flooded her senses, fury and sorrow leading the brew. Chipped fingernails dug into the fabric of her shorts as she shuddered. There were so many things overwhelming her mind–so many things she wanted to say, all out of her need to channel her anger after bottling it up for so long. She didn’t know what to do, and certainly didn’t know what to say, but she tried for an exhaustingly long moment to come up with something.

Finally, with her brows furrowed tightly together, she sniffled and managed to stand, using the collar of her t-shirt to wipe away her tears. “I’m not promising anything. I don’t want anyone’s help either. I can do stuff on my own. I have all my life. I don’t need anyone else.”

“Boscha, don’t–”

“Get out.”

She stepped forward and practically shoved Amity out the door once she stood to meet her eye-to-eye, slamming it right after and locking it. Amity, surprised by both the sudden motion and change in mood, knocked repeatedly and rattled the doorknob. “Boscha, please, open the door. You can’t lose yourself over something like this. You have to move on.”

“Don’t you fucking dare tell me to move on!” She hollered back from the other side of the door, punching it to emphasize her anger. “I’ll do whatever I want, got it? Get out. Leave. Just– leave me alone already!”

Amity tried for an hour more to convince Boscha to let her back in, but quickly slipped out of the house once she heard the front door downstairs opening and closing, followed by familiar voices. Once she was sure she was alone, Boscha curled back up on her bed and threw her covers over her head to muffle out her cries.

Her heart throbbed uncomfortably in her chest, hammering against her ribs. She hated the feeling. She hated all of her feelings lately, including the ones that led her to believe making a last attempt of confessing would fix everything. She bit down harshly against her blanket, trying to prevent herself from letting out another audible cry. The last thing she wanted to deal with was her moms trying to comfort her. She wanted to be alone, even if it meant dealing with her bubbling emotions on her own.

Every nerve throughout her body felt numb, making her limbs feel impossibly weak. She couldn’t have even lifted the blankets back off of her if she tried. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to stop her silent rivers of tears and fall asleep, hoping it would ease the headache pounding in her skull. She hated all of the pain, both physical and emotional. She wanted it to disappear forever.

The feeling was only temporary, she knew. The one-sided love that had destroyed her and her life, however, was eternal.

Shielded Tranquility

[Resident Evil: Village] Cassandra Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.07k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Blood, threats, handling a small panic attack, mentions of torture, suggestive dialogue, language, soft angst, and fluff.

[A/N]: Here's Cassandra's part for the continuation of Shielded! I'm working on the story for Daniela, so expect that sometime soon! Bela's part can be found here.

Enjoy!

//////////

Faint laughter rolled down the crumbling hallways of the dungeon linked to the kitchen, softly rumbling its way past cracked bricks and snapped planks that littered the cold and rugged stone floor. Having noticed just how overwhelmed and stressed the majority of her fellow maids were, [Y/N] offered to assist them with the most anxiety-inducing task: cleaning out the remains and partially-dried bloodstains in each cage. After working with House Dimitrescu for so long, most maids and visitors–who later became victims–grew accustomed to these scenes.

The reason so many of the maids grew frail and hesitant with every action they took while on the lowest floor of the manor was because they were never sure if their predators would join them, taunt them, and ultimately torture them relentlessly, laughing at them and mocking them heartlessly as they took their final, strained breath. No matter how many times they were reassured by the head matriarch of the castle known for the bloodshed and lack of mercy, each maid felt their heart sink to their stomach each time they heard they were being assigned to work downstairs.

Knowing this, and wanting to help her coworkers feel at ease while working, [Y/N] made sure to crack jokes at every given opportunity. She kept a smile on at all times and forced herself to appear as though she had no concern for the potential punishment or death any one of them could receive at any given moment.

The maids, even those among them who had been fortunate enough to survive and work under one of the Four Lords for years, found themselves astonished at her carefree attitude. Although they weren’t sure how genuine she was being towards them, they couldn’t help but feel their own anxiety flicker away with each grin and pun sent their way. Within an hour, they had all begun to share jokes and laugh. They convinced each other to stay as silent as possible, but after a decent amount of time that lacked scolding from one of their employers, it was becoming much harder to stifle their giggles.

Each woman had grown comfortable enough to let their guard down, though one by one, they grew tense again and gasped as a familiar figure prowled past them, accompanied by the overwhelmingly strong smell of blood, sweat, and something rotten. Confusion riddled each maid’s face as the middle child, Cassandra Dimitrescu, paid no mind to them, not even gracing them with a single glance in their direction. Instead, she lurked forward with a smirk on her face. She had clearly just gotten finished with a hunt, which was evident from the way warm, wet, fresh blood had been splattered over her lips and gradually trickled down her jawline and throat. It seeped into her cloak, though it didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. Likely the same blood that enhanced her wicked grin also drenched her tattered gloves and sleeves. Wherever she was going seemed to be more important than cleaning up after herself.

Then again, she tended to prefer keeping a wild appearance. She was thrilled when others feared her and viewed her as unhinged. It helped accomplish her desire to be intimidating and in control, which satisfied her even further each time she toyed with her prey. Knowing that her wicked, sadistic glare would be the final thing so many of her victims saw was addictive. Being feared was one of the most important, exhilarating things to her.

Her sickle dangled loosely from her belt, rocking and thumping against her hip with each sauntered movement. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem it was what she had used. The silver still gleamed effortlessly under the dim lighting from the candles burning punily against the walls. It seemed as though the blade had been sharpened recently, which only added to the bewilderment pouring throughout the entire level.

Pure terror and a feeling of helplessness riddled through the women’s bodies as they managed to shuffle closer to the wall and watch from the corners of their eyes as Cassandra continued to glide towards her target–which they quickly realized was the woman providing them with their only sense of comfort: [Y/N].

The maids closest to [Y/N] noticed her presence far too late to warn her. They instinctively stepped away and bowed their heads to both show obedience and to avoid potentially making eye contact with the cruelest daughter of Alcina. [Y/N] noticed their sudden change in behavior and tilted her head in confusion, never once twisting around far enough to see the woman mere inches behind her. Cassandra’s emergence from the stairs instantly became known to her, however, as cold, damp, strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her backwards far enough to lean against the partially-solid body of the taller woman now standing directly behind her. She yelped, puzzled at how she hadn’t heard the buzzing growing louder or noticed the tension returning to the room. A shiver crept through her body upon feeling the blood begin to seep into her uniform, once warm in the body of the victim, now frigid against her skin.

Before she could turn to face her, Cassandra’s strong jawline and chin, doused in thick blood, planted themselves into the crook of [Y/N]’s neck. Her voice hitched as the woman’s hot, staggered breath caressed her ear. She could feel everyone’s eyes on the two of them, as well as the sensation of a slick, crimson red substance instantly bleeding through her white cotton shirt-collar and streaming across her shoulder, all the way down to the skin just above her right breast.

She could feel her heart hammering against her ribs so violently, and given how enhanced Alcina’s daughters’ senses became after the experiment they unwillingly participated in, she was sure Cassandra could hear it as well. Her anxiety spiked immediately once she realized neither Bela nor Daniela were down here with her. She never had to fear what would happen around Cassandra as long as they were around to keep her in check, but now she was down here on her own. Thinking as quickly as she could, she did her best to remain calm and prevent the other women in the room from getting hurt. She took a sharp breath in and turned her head to peer at Cassandra through the corner of her eye.

“Lady C-Cassandra, what are you–” “Hello, [Y/N]. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Why’re you down here wasting your precious time with these pathetic maids? You weren’t assigned to work in here.” [Y/N] swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She didn’t mind having to stand up for herself, but as a child, she had been forced to learn how to defend others after learning of the other kids in the village bullying her younger sister. She knew the other women who worked here were too terrified of the heads of the house to put their foot down, but she wouldn’t allow herself to stand aside and let them be thrown around and treated like they were worthless. In her mind, it would feel like she was letting her sister get hurt–like she would let her down. “Lady Cassandra, please. I’m no better than the other women here, and you know it. I’m a maid just like the rest of them, and none of them are in any way inferior to you or your family.”

A dark, forced cackle erupted from Cassandra’s lips as her fingertips dug into [Y/N]’s clothed skin. “Oh, you really do amuse me, my little maid. You know very well these pathetic, shoddy women mean nothing outside of their work. And even then, they can all be replaced.” She lowered her voice so only [Y/N] could hear her and tugged her closer. “All except you,” she husked with an impish smirk. A shudder jolted down [Y/N]’s spine. Before she had a chance to send back a retort of her own, Cassandra continued, instantly changing the subject.

“Aside from that, you still haven’t given me a reason as to why you’re down here. You weren’t assigned to clean out the cells, so why have you gone against orders? Don’t make me repeat myself again.” She turned her head, allowing her bloodstained, needle-like fangs to graze against [Y/N]’s soft, warm, tempting skin. “You know exactly what will happen.”

[Y/N] found herself suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Cassandra was one who tended to put on a facade around others–especially those she deems to be lower than her–but her mask would periodically falter long enough to show her more sensitive nature, in which she always seemed ashamed of. “I didn’t go against any orders, Lady Cassandra. I was told–by your mother–to take the day off and do as I please, so long as I don’t interfere with her work. That’s why I’m down here: I’m doing as I please, which is helping the other women down here so they don’t overwhelm themselves with such a daunting task. I’m in no way interrupting your mother’s work. I hope that answers your question.”

The maids pinned to the sides of the, now dead-silent, halls held their breaths, mortified at how bold [Y/N] had been as she spoke to Cassandra–the sister known to be the most sadistic, aggressive, and short-tempered of the three. They feared they’d watch their friend be torn apart right in front of them, limb by limb. Rigid as boards, they shared silent looks with each other before a mocking laugh bellowed deep from inside Cassandra’s gut. Their eyes shot back to the two women secluded from the rest.

Cassandra cackled once more at [Y/N]’s remark, audibly growing annoyed with how confidently she was biting back. She sighed, gripping the smaller woman tightly by her right bicep and twirling her around to look her in the eye. “I suppose it does, maid. I just hope you haven’t made any other plans. You’re coming with me,” she sneered as she yanked her back towards the staircase leading up to the kitchen. She glared daggers at each maid this time as she passed them. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she stormed up in a swift movement fueled by her wavering pride. “Let this be a warning to all of you. No one speaks to me this way. If you’d like to be drawn to the most horrendous pain you’ve ever experienced, then by all means, be my guest and follow her example.”

Mortified gazes trailed after the two as they vanished through the arched doorway and up the stairs. The maid closest to where they left strained her ears in an attempt to hear anything further.

Once she knew they were both out of earshot and sight, Cassandra softened her grip on [Y/N]’s arm as she led her up the stairs in the main den. “Lady Cassandra, where are you taking me?” The brunette sighed and waited until she found a secluded room where there were no other maids stationed. She tugged her forward before practically slamming the door shut and locking it, flying over to the other entrance leading to the adjacent room and doing the same. At length, she spun around on her heel and glared down at [Y/N] with furrowed brows. “Why the hell would you speak to me that way in front of them? Do you know how humiliating that is for me? How difficult it makes it to maintain some sense of intimidation and control?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, of course you don’t.”

[Y/N] sucked in a shaky breath to steel her nerves. She stood up straight, strained her features to mirror neutrality, and steadied her voice to appear confident in herself. “Lady Cassandra, it wasn’t my intention to upset you. I just don’t enjoy watching how ashamed you and your sisters make my coworkers feel each time you speak to them. I’m sure they’d do much better while working if you treated them with the respect they deserve.” Cassandra laughed again. “Respect? You really think those lowly maids deserve respect? Even with how worthless they are?” Irritation overwhelmed [Y/N]’s senses. She stepped forward with a look in her eye that Cassandra had never seen before. It enticed her. “Listen. I don’t care what you say about me, or even what you say about your sisters. You know very well that they’ll have the courage to fight back, and so will I. But I will not stand by and watch while you degrade those women who are too terrified to speak up for themselves. They may not have your respect, but you sure as hell have theirs.

“I may be speaking out of place here, and you may very well have my head for it, Lady Cassandra, but it seems to me that I’m the only one here who will stand up for what’s right, and I won’t apologize for it. If you showed any decency towards the people who worked day and night for you, you would know better than to constantly berate them at every given moment. Any child who was taught basic proper manners knows that.”

Stunned, Cassandra only stared silently at the fuming woman in front of her, her mouth slightly agape as she blinked. After a moment of the two women staring awkwardly at each other, [Y/N] sighed heavily and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head down to gawk at the floor beneath her as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. She cleared her throat.

“I apologize, Lady Cassandra. I didn’t mean to go that far. I’m just so sick of seeing you hurt others like that. I care about those women so much, and I don’t want someone else I care about to be the reason behind their suffering.” Another sigh slipped through her parted lips. “I suppose I should’ve expected this, though. After all, your family is known for being merciless towards those deemed even less valuable than the dust on the bodies of those you toy with and torture. Those that are unwillingly brought into this world with dreams and ambitions of their own, only for it to be taken away over several grueling hours that you seem to enjoy.”

The seconds that followed felt like hours, both women at a loss for words. [Y/N] continued to avert her gaze and stare at different objects decorating the same room that grew heavier with tension. Cassandra, however, couldn’t tear her eyes away from [Y/N]. She had always known the woman wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in, but she had never heard her grow so aggressive and insulting. It piqued her interest. Aside from her sisters, Cassandra wasn’t used to anyone talking back, even to defend themself. She felt herself going to war inside her mind, desperately racking her brain for something to say.

“Just…” she started in a hushed tone. “Just call me Cassandra, for god’s sake. I think you’re already aware that you’ve earned my trust. You know I don’t have it in myself to hurt you, especially after you defended my sisters and I when that disgusting man-thing broke in a couple of weeks ago.” It was [Y/N]’s turn to be surprised. She had never heard Cassandra speak so calmly, even when she had rested against her after the invasion a few weeks prior. She cleared her throat. “But that’s…that goes against everything I was taught. I mean, you know I don’t think of anyone as superior or inferior, but I do know how important it is to show respect. It’d feel so improper to address you that way.” Cassandra sighed, though it shifted more into a low growl that rumbled in the back of her throat.

She stepped forward. “Oh my god, why are you–ugh! You’re so damn annoying!” “What…?” She stepped closer, prompting [Y/N] to cower back a bit and begin to trail backward. “You heard what I said, god dammit! You’re annoying! God, this is disgusting. I’m disgusting. I never wanted to feel this way–especially about you!” “Lady Cassandra, wh-what are you talking ab–”

“I hate you, okay?” She finally shouted. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, the hue beginning to flush her face matching the blood still dripping down her chin. She began to pace back and forth in a panicked manner, her gloved fingernails digging into her scalp. “I hate the way you make me feel, I hate the fuzzy feeling I get when I so much as think of you, I hate how beautiful and selfless you are, I hate how you’re afraid to address me casually, and I hate how you always make me feel so good about myself!”

Processing the words and replaying them over and over again in her mind like a record player, [Y/N] could only watch in a daze as Cassandra continued to walk around in frantic steps. At length, the troubled woman halted her movements and buried her face in her trembling hands. She heaved, wishing she could shrivel away at that moment. She had never imagined she’d be so vulnerable around anyone. In her mind, any emotion aside from anger or sadistic pleasure was weakness. How had this young maid managed to break down her walls in such a short amount of time? Surely saving her wasn’t enough to make her fall into such shameful vulnerability.

Oh, how desperate she was to drown away in her own puddle of shame, far away from everyone and everything that could see how pathetic she felt.

“But, Cassandra, why does that seem like it’s such a bad thing in your mind?” Unwillingly, a pained sob tore through Cassandra’s lips as she once again clawed at her hair. Her lips curled up as a rough laugh followed soon after. “Because I don’t deserve it! Any of it, dammit! You should be afraid of me!” Her eyes screwed themselves tightly shut as another cry erupted from her throat, which was growing raw from the hysteric weeping.

She couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her own sniffling and sharp gasps for air. The feeling of two warm, gentle hands firmly taking her own made her visibly jump, recoiling back and nearly spiraling into the nearest wall out of shock. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” [Y/N] whispered reassuringly, holding her hands up in front of her shoulders, palms facing towards the terrified woman. “I need you to breathe, alright? Just breathe. Here, give me your hands. If it’s alright for me to hold them, of course.”

Cassandra looked down as she panted fearfully, wrestling with her conscience to come back to her senses. Her golden eyes flickered back and forth between [Y/N]’s hands offering themselves to let her hold and the girl’s soft, yet stern, steadied gaze. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

Hesitantly, Cassandra found herself stepping forward at a painfully slow pace before outstretching her arms far enough to rest her hands in [Y/N]’s. She looked back up at the one trying to calm her down.

“Breathe, okay? Take three deep breaths, and then we’ll go from there.” She had to take a moment to understand the words, but Cassandra eventually nodded. She attempted to take the first one, though it came out in a strangled manner. “Hey, just look at me. Breathe with me, alright? We’re going to breathe in for three seconds, hold for three seconds, and then take the same amount of time to breathe back out. Got it? In three, hold three, out three.”

Too puzzled about what she was feeling, Cassandra nodded again and did as she was told. She watched as [Y/N] began to breathe in slowly and held up her left hand to count to three. Shakily, she followed her example, and after a few attempts, she had finally managed to take three deep breaths. “Good,” [Y/N] whispered. She began to kneel down into a sitting position, gently tugging the trembling woman with her. Once seated, [Y/N] squeezed Cassandra’s hands in her own.

“I want you to focus on your five senses, alright? We’ll take it one at a time. First, tell me what you can feel.” Cassandra’s hands twitched uncomfortably, tingling from being numb. After taking a second to muster her strength, she curled her fingers far enough to grip [Y/N]’s hands. She blinked, eventually closed her eyes, and let herself focus. “Y-Your hands. I f-feel your hands in mine.” “Try to describe them for me.”

She stammered, struggling to properly form the correct descriptive words. “Uh, s-soft, warm, and…” She squeezed her grip again. “They’re smaller th-than mine.” “Good, you’re doing great. Now tell me what you can hear.”

Her brows furrowed together tightly as she strained her ears, trying urgently to push past the rushing sound of ringing. “I–I can hear my v-voice, and our heartb-beats.” “Good. What can you smell?” She inhaled deeply, failing to notice that her breathing had already returned to normal. “Your scent, and, um…the ashes in the hearth. I-I think there was a fire going recently.”

“Taste?”

“Blood. I, well, you can see why. I forgot to wipe it off on the way up here.” Cassandra felt herself smile tiredly as [Y/N] chuckled in response. “Yeah, I know. You’re almost done. Now you just need to tell me what you can see. You might want to open your eyes for that, though.” Cassandra let out a snicker of her own before she let her eyes flutter open. Having to take a moment for her vision to adjust from being blurred from her tears, eventually her eyes focused on [Y/N]’s. She couldn’t see it herself, but her pupils–which tended to slit themselves as if she were constantly preying on something–were blown.

“I can see you. I see your gaze, your smile, and–” she paused and nervously glanced down. “And the bloodstains I accidentally left on your waist.” [Y/N]’s smile grew wider. “You did great. Do you feel any better?” Too uncharacteristically bashful, Cassandra could only nod as she stared at the ground beneath them.

“I’m glad. Now, why don’t we get you to bed? You look exhausted.” As if on cue, Cassandra felt herself yawn, her hands slipping from [Y/N]’s and rising above her head to stretch. “Actually,” she murmured while rubbing her eyes, “could we just sleep in here? Kind of like how we slept that night, but just you and I?”

[Y/N] froze for a moment. “Are you sure? I don’t want to overwhelm you. I mean, I’m sure you’d like some space and privacy while you rest.” Cassandra didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest about keeping each other company, which was very out of the ordinary for her. “I’m sure. We’d just need to get the fire going again and gather up some pillows and blankets. I could go grab those if you wouldn’t mind getting some of the spare driftwood and lighting it up in the hearth.”

The two women, although they experienced different reactions to the proposal, both internally felt the mutual urge to be near one another. Neither one of them were sure what their relationship was, but they both craved a more intimate, romantic connection, though both were too afraid to make the first move. Cassandra’s fear was her pride being crushed because of her phobia of dealing with rejection. [Y/N]’s fear was the thought of ruining what it was they already had established, feeding on her linked dread of being despised and abandoned.

After realizing that Cassandra was already half-asleep, [Y/N] could feel her hesitation begin to fade. She sighed at length and nodded. “Alright, I can do that. I’ll be right back. I’m not sure how many pillows or blankets are up here though.” Cassandra shrugged and stumbled onto her feet. “I don’t know either, but I’ll see what I can find. Hurry up though. I’m about to collapse, and I don’t want to do that in this cold-ass room.” Finally, [Y/N] giggled again. “Alright, alright. Fair enough.” She hoisted herself back onto her feet as well and headed towards the door leading out into the main hallway, unlocking it and beginning to head out.

“Oh, and [Y/N]?” She halted her steps and peered back into the room. “Yes?” Cassandra gazed at her gently. “If you so much as breathe a word about any of this to anyone, especially my sisters, I’ll have your head,” she threatened emptily with a smile. [Y/N] paused before laughing. “I was honestly waiting for a wink or something with that last part.” Cassandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes as [Y/N] left, though she also couldn’t bite back her smirk. “Yeah, that’ll come later on,” she mumbled under her breath. She turned to the sofas lining the far wall, drifting towards them to retrieve the throw pillows propped up against the armrests and the soft, red cotton-weaved blankets folded neatly in the center of every other cushion.

//////////

Flames began to crackle loudly as they grew in the hearth. A soft light illuminated the room, casting wavering shadows throughout the room, which brought attention to the only highlighted spot shielded from the darkness. A few feet in front of the base of the fire, [Y/N] and Cassandra had bundled themselves together under layers of blankets and on top of piles of pillows. Similar to what she had done two weeks prior when recovering from the attack, Cassandra had huddled against [Y/N] as closely as she could. Her nose had nuzzled itself into the girl’s neck, allowing her to effortlessly breathe in her scent as she rested.

They had both stayed quiet for a while, watching the fire grow larger, though [Y/N] eventually broke the silence. “Hey, Cassandra?” The fatigued woman leaning against her, clinging to her for warmth, hummed almost inaudibly in response. The lack of clarity in the noise was caused by the lower half of her face being buried underneath the covers–as well as how she had positioned her head to bask in [Y/N]’s aroma. “Hm?” “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you come looking for me earlier when I was downstairs?” Cassandra huffed and yawned. “Because I was originally going to ask if we could come upstairs and do exactly what we’re doing right now. I just lost my temper, so things kind of took…a turn,” she slurred out sleepily.

“Ah.”

Silence fell upon them again. Several minutes passed before either one of them spoke. This time, it was Cassandra who broke the hushedness. “I cannot tell you how tempted I am to bury my face underneath your shirt.” [Y/N] coughed, attempting to stifle the sudden choking on her spit. “I-I’m sorry?” Playfully, yet tiredly, Cassandra smacked her shoulder. “Not like that, you dork. Well, not yet anyway.” Again, [Y/N] had to prevent herself from choking. “I meant because you’re really warm, and having your shirt over me would keep the heat in. I’d probably fall asleep there and never come out.”

“C-Cassandra, what the hell are you even talking about?”

“Honestly? I don’t even know anymore. I’m exhausted. I probably won’t remember half of the things I’ve already said once I wake up. It’s a nice thought though–I’d get to be close to you, I’d be warm, and your shirt would block out the sunlight so I can actually sleep in.” [Y/N] smirked, playing along. “Yeah, but then you’d have to hear all the weird noises my stomach makes 24/7.” Cassandra hummed out a small laugh, already on the verge of falling asleep. “Ah, I’d say it’s worth it.”

The two smiled, the tranquil setting returning comfortably this time. As Cassandra began to dream, [Y/N] reflected on all that had happened so far. Although she knew it wasn’t necessarily a permanent issue, her mind kept wandering back to the arguments and insults. It began to eat away at her consciousness.

Afraid Cassandra was still upset from her unintentional outburst earlier, [Y/N] desperately grasped at ideas on what she could possibly say to lighten the mood. She squeezed Cassandra’s shoulders to pull her closer. “Y’know, next time you get angry and I can tell you’re about to have a completely different mood or reaction, I’m going to yell “plot twist!” like I’m solving some kind of crime in one of Daniela’s corny mystery books, and then carry on. You think your sisters will be confused?” Cassandra, although she didn’t understand why she was asking, chuckled breathily. “Oh, definitely, but I will be too.”

[Y/N] grinned. “Yeah, but then that means I win.” Cassandra’s head perked up a bit to face the woman holding her. Her eyebrow raised as the gears visibly turned in her brain. “Huh?” [Y/N] beamed down at her. “I win because I managed to switch your attention to something else. That way you’re not entirely upset anymore.”

Finally, after a long moment of thinking her exhaustion was rendering [Y/N] as incoherent, Cassandra laughed and yawned. She let her head fall back gently to return to its resting spot on [Y/N]’s chest. She sighed as the familiar heartbeat behind the girl’s ribs filled her ears.

“You’re so stupid. I love you so much.”

[Y/N] froze, surprised that Cassandra was the first one to say it. Eventually, she felt herself smile in a tired, smitten way, before leaning her head back against one of the many pillows they were both propped against. Her head then tilted far enough for her ear to come into contact with Cassandra’s soft brunette locks. Her fingertips dug lightly into the blankets they shared and pulled them further around themselves, then driving further up and finding themselves scratching softly at Cassandra’s scalp, prompting her to purr in response. Pure bliss flooded both women’s senses. [Y/N] could feel her eyelids beginning to droop from exhaustion. Listening to the way her body begged her to rest, she finally closed her eyes and let her tensed muscles relax.

“I love you too.”

Only For You

[Resident Evil: Village] Cassandra Dimitrescu x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 4.4k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: (Slightly implied) Jealousy

[A/N]: This was written quite a while ago, so some things might have changed, but I kept the overall idea the same.

Enjoy!

[Y/N] yelped for the fifth time as Daniela roughly yanked her forward, ignoring Bela’s suggestion to be easy with her–subtly reminding her that Cassandra would have her head if she left any bruises. “C’mon, [Y/N], Cass is waiting for you! You gotta hurry up!” [Y/N] readjusted her arm in Daniela’s grasp to ease some of the pain, though it didn’t work. “Why is she waiting for me? And why did the two of you force me into this dress?” To be blunt, [Y/N] didn’t like the dress; the design and the colors were absolutely beautiful, and it hugged her body perfectly, but the texture was driving her insane. The constant itch from the rough fabric rubbing against her skin made her grimace each time. Bela and Daniela had locked her in a spare, empty bedroom and practically forced her to slip it on only a few minutes prior, so it didn’t help that it wasn’t smoothed out properly.

She wasn’t sure why she had to wear it, or even where they were going, but the eldest and youngest daughter of the Dimitrescu household were adamant that it was important, and she needed to hurry. The matching heels she had clumsily slipped on as she was rushed out the door were too tight, blistering her heels and squeezing her feet uncomfortably. She winced with each step. Why did she have to wear it? Why was Cassandra waiting for her? “Because Cassi wanted you to wear it tonight,” the redhead answered at length. “But why? What’s so important?” Bela finally stepped in front of the two large, wide doors leading to the ballroom, preventing her sister from barging into the room before everything was ready. She pried Daniela’s hand from [Y/N]’s, now red, arm. “Dani, you need to calm down. Cassandra told us to let her know when [Y/N] is here so she can gather herself. If you barge in now, you’ll ruin everything.”

Daniela rolled her eyes, bouncing impatiently on her toes. “But this is so exciting! It’s like all of the romance I read about in my novels, and I want to witness it in person!” The blonde sighed and firmly squeezed her younger sister’s shoulder. “I know, Daniela, but we did promise Cassandra we’d follow her plan. Tonight is about her and [Y/N], not your interests in romance. She wants it to be perfect. Why do you think she spent such a long time planning everything?”

Bela had to choose her words carefully to avoid revealing any of the actual plan itself. The entire time, she panicked about getting Daniela involved, worried the redhead would spoil everything before it could even begin. Cassandra seemed so excited–yet nervous–about the plan she and her sisters had made.

Cassandra paced back and forth in front of her sisters, fidgeting with her necklace as her gaze flickered back and forth like she was reading from a script. “And then the pianist will play the final slow song, and I’ll pull [Y/N] closer,” she recited at the end of her walkthrough of the plan. “Yes. You’ll be just fine, Cassandra,” Bela voiced softly from her spot on the sofa. “Everything will be perfect, just like you want.” The brunette turned her head to gaze at her, though she didn’t slow in her movements. Her eyebrows were furrowed tightly together as she chewed harshly on her lip. “But what if it doesn’t? What if I mess something up? Or–or what if she hates the dress I picked for her, or the suit I’m wearing because it’s not what she actually described to me?” She groaned and buried her face in her hands. “God, I just want things to go smoothly.”

Bela stood, internally thankful she did so she didn’t have to feel Daniela bouncing on the cushion next to her any longer, and stepped in front of her younger sister, planting her hands on her shoulders to halt her anxious pacing. “Cass, none of that will happen. I’ve never seen you this nervous over anything before.” Cassandra averted her gaze, not willing to admit she was actually terrified of how the plan would play out. “You really love this girl, don’t you?” The brunette swallowed the lump in her throat as her face flushed. “I-I…” She couldn’t lie. [Y/N] meant the world to her–she’d do anything for her.

At length, she sheepishly glanced up at Bela before her gaze returned to the floor beneath them. “I do. I really do,” she whispered. Bela smiled warmly at her, though she couldn’t see it, and patted her shoulders softly. “I’m glad. And I’m so happy for you–I really am. It’s really nice to see you be so comfortable, and open, and honest with this girl. I’m glad she makes you happy. I can assure you that she truly does love you too, and you know she’d never blame you for anything, so don’t dread what could possibly go wrong. I’m sure that no matter what happens, she’ll love everything about this plan–including how much effort you put into it.” Cassandra finally met her reassuring gaze. She didn’t know what to say, but she was so glad her sisters weren’t teasing her about everything like she had initially thought they would.

“[Y/N] loves you,” the blonde whispered, setting it in stone.

A smile finally cracked across Cassandra’s lips, prompting Bela’s to widen in return. “Thank you,” the brunette mumbled, unsure of what to say. Bela nodded. Both of them jumped, however, as Daniela clapped once loudly. “Aha!” Her two older sisters turned to look at her in confusion. “What?” She stood, stepping over to the two and excitedly grabbing Cassandra by the arm. “When you play the slow songs at the end, the last two should be special! The second-to-last one should be one of her favorites, and then the final one should be one you both love! That could be your song!” Surprised she found her sister’s idea so intriguing, Bela smiled and nodded as she turned to Cassandra, who seemed utterly confused. “That’s actually an incredible idea,” she spoke firmly. The brunette turned to her.

“It is?” “Of course. Leave it to Daniela to think of something really romantic.” Daniela grinned pridefully. Her gaze bounced back over to Cassandra, whose expression hadn’t faltered. The redhead tilted her head. “Don’t you think it’s a good idea, Cass?” The middle child seemed lost. “Well, the part about playing a song she loves, yes, but what do you mean the final one could be “my song?””

Daniela and Bela looked at each other. The blonde sent Daniela a threatening look when she chuckled. “It just means a song that both of you love. One that’s personal to you and can relate to your actual relationship. It’s a song that will make you think of each other and the moments you share when you hear it.” It finally clicked in Cassandra’s brain, her eyes lighting up at the idea once she understood. “And it doesn’t mean it’s actually your song. It means it’s a song you and [Y/N] can share and enjoy on a personal level,” Daniela added. “Exactly,” Bela agreed. The two could see the gears visibly turning in Cassandra’s head as she wracked her brain for a song that could work. She knew it had to be truly special–it couldn’t be just any cheesy love song. It had to mean something to the two of them.

“Don’t just try to think of one you think she’ll settle with though. Talk to her about it. Next time you’re listening to music together, just ask her what her favorite love song is and play it. Or maybe ask what kind of song she’d want to play if you ever got married,” Bela wanted to be sure her sister didn’t grow close-minded on something that she was going to share with [Y/N]. Cassandra nodded. “I can do that,” she mumbled softly. Bela smirked and nodded. “Good. Now, let’s go over the plan one more time, alright?”

“Well, then go tell her [Y/N] is here!” Bela shook her head and pointed towards the doors behind her. “You go tell her instead.” “What? Why?” “Because I need to speak to [Y/N] alone before she goes in there.” [Y/N] looked at her, panicked, as Daniela finally nodded and opened the door just enough to slip into the room before shutting it. Bela hadn’t torn her gaze away from [Y/N], who stared back anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?” The blonde stayed silent for a moment, trying to phrase her words in a way that wouldn’t upset Cassandra if she overheard. Finally, she crossed her arms and stepped forward with a small sigh. “No, you didn’t. I just want to know that you love my sister. Really love her–not anything fake.” [Y/N]’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “What? Of course I love Cassandra. I love her more than anything.”

“Then I need you to prove it to me.” “And…how do I do that?” Bela’s hands found themselves planted on top of [Y/N]’s shoulders the same way they were with Cassandra several weeks ago when she was panicking. “Tonight is very important to Cassandra. She’s spent months planning this, and she’s been extremely nervous about it. So, when you go in there, I need you to be completely honest about everything that happens. I need to see that you’re willing to put your guilt aside to show good communication and loyalty with my sister. Those are two incredibly important factors in a healthy relationship of any kind. I’m not saying what she has planned will likely upset you, but she is worried that something will go wrong. If for some reason it does, I need you to be honest about how it makes you feel–whether it be good or bad. Do you understand me?”

[Y/N] swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded. “Of course. I could never lie to Cass. I’d do anything for her because I love her with all my heart.” Bela’s gaze flickered across her face, searching for any sign of a lie. At length, she sighed and smiled, her hands dropping down to hold [Y/N]’s. “I know you do. I’m so glad you’re a part of her life. You’re an incredible woman, [Y/N], and that’s what Cassandra deserves. I know you’ll be there for her through anything and everything, and I know she’ll do the same for you.”

[Y/N] smiled fondly at her, a soft tint of red dusting her cheeks. They stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say, before the door opened slightly behind them, allowing Daniela’s head to pop out. “She’s ready,” she announced softly with a grin. The door shut again, and Bela turned back to [Y/N]. “Alright, I’m going to step inside for a moment to check some things. You wait right here, and Dani and I will open both doors for you when it’s time. Got it?” [Y/N] nodded, unable to wipe the grin from her face. “And you remember what I said?” “Of course.” “Good. We’ll open the doors for you shortly. Wait here. Maybe smooth out your dress–I know we sort of rushed you, so you didn’t get a chance to. I could see how uncomfortable it was making you. Sorry about that by the way."

Bela opened the door and headed inside, leaving [Y/N] there by herself. She looked down at the dress, a beautiful blend of black and red with rose patterns etched in around the waistline and trim. There weren’t any sleeves, but since the castle had to be kept relatively warm for all three sisters, it didn’t pose as much of a problem. She ran her hands down the fabric repeatedly, smoothing out the wrinkles. The texture of the material used for the dress still made her itch if she moved too much, but it was much more bearable now that nothing was bunched up in uncomfortable places. She sucked in a deep breath to steady the rising nerves. She wasn’t sure what all Cassandra had planned, but it had to have been a lot if Bela said it was incredibly important to her. Cassandra wasn’t one to go all-out for events, including dates. She preferred to keep things relatively simple and calm–which was uncharacteristic of her contrasting self. This had to be a special event of some kind.

“Okay, Cass. You ready?” Cassandra took a shaky breath and wiped her sweaty palms against her black slacks in an attempt to dry them, though it was futile. “I-I don’t know. Do I look okay?” Bela smiled. “Yes, you look incredible. I just know [Y/N] is going to love that you had this suit made with only her interests in mind. You told me what she described her ideal suit was, and that’s exactly what I see. Granted, you did change the colors to suit your style, but I think she’ll end up loving it even more because it was made for the person she loves. It adds to the meaning.”

Cassandra found herself smiling as she glanced down at her outfit. A white button up shirt, a red silk vest with a matching tie, a black blazer with crimson accents, charcoal-colored slacks, and black dress shoes. She had even styled her hair and put on the cologne [Y/N] loved. She put even more effort into this night than she had realized. About three weeks prior, she had commissioned her aunt Donna to make the three-piece suit, knowing that the skilled woman would be able to get every little detail perfect. Every amount she spent on this night was worth it, even if something goes wrong. She was proud of herself for putting in so much effort to please [Y/N]. She was everything to her.

“So, are you ready?” Cassandra looked up at Bela, who was standing by the pianist to help double check all of the sheet music, and then to Daniela, who was on the second floor leaning over the railing with a cheeky grin as she gave a thumbs up. She took another deep breath. “Yes, I am,” she stated firmly. Bela smiled and walked over. “Good. Just remember what we practiced. Deep breaths, focus on the positive, and know that Dani and I support you all the way.”

The brunette chuckled. “I know. Thank you,” she replied softly. Bela nodded and pulled her sister into a tight hug, patting her back before motioning for Daniela to come down. They both flew over to the heavy wooden doors and grasped each handle. “Oh,” the blonde said before they could open the doors. “And you might want to take a deep breath now because I know when you see how [Y/N] looks in the dress you picked out for her, you’re going to be breathless. She looks just as stunning as you had hoped.” The youngest daughter raised an eyebrow. “Bela, are you trying to tell us something we don’t know?” Bela turned to her, slightly offended. “Not at all. I’m trying to get Cass excited about this so she isn’t anxious anymore. And,” she raised her index finger and twirled it in a circle before pointing to the middle child across the room with a cocky smirk. “I’m pretty sure it’s working. Look at how red in the face she is.”

Daniela followed her sister’s point to find Cassandra blushing profusely. She giggled and turned to her, never letting go of the door handle. “C’mon, Cass, you’ve gotta look confident. Stand up straight, head held high, and put your hands in your pockets or behind your back.” Cassandra nodded and cleared her throat, straightening her posture and stuffing her hands in her pockets. “How’s this?” “Great. You ready?” She nodded, fighting with herself to regain her composure. Bela and Daniela turned to each other before they shared a nod and turned to their respected door. Slowly, they pulled them open. Inch by inch, Cassandra was able to see more of [Y/N], who had listened to Bela and stood there patiently with her hands intertwined in front of her.

Just like Bela had said, Cassandra’s breath was taken away once the full picture of [Y/N] came into view. She truly looked so stunning, even as she stood there trembling. After a long moment, Bela led the [h/c] girl inside before she joined her youngest sister upstairs to view from above. Cassandra and [Y/N] stared at each other in awe, both blushing madly as their eyes traveled up and down the other’s outfit and body. “Wow,” the brunette breathed out at length. “You look…” She stepped closer, as if to get a better view. Softly, she took [Y/N]’s hands into her own, squeezing them as she fought her mind to find the right word. “Phenomenal. God, that dress suits you perfectly.” “Your suit makes you look absolutely ravishing. It looks just like–” She gasped at the sudden realization. “Cass, no way.”

Cassandra chuckled and tilted her head. “What?” “Did you…did you get the suit that I…” “That you said you loved?” [Y/N] nodded. The brunette laughed softly, looking down at herself. “Yeah, I did. I had Aunt Donna make it for me so I could be sure all of the details were right.” She glanced back up at [Y/N] to find her still staring at the suit. “Do you like it?” She finally met her gaze again, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she smiled and nodded. “Cass, I absolutely love it. Thank you so much.” Cassandra smiled and nodded in return. She stared for a moment. ‘Be bold,’ she told herself. She removed her hands from [Y/N]’s and slid them down to hold her waist, gently pulling her forward. Caught slightly off guard from the motion, the [h/c] girl’s own hands instinctively flew up to grasp onto Cassandra’s shoulders.

“Do you like the dress too?” Sheepishly, [Y/N] nodded. “Yes, it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a little uncomfortable though.” Concerned, Cassandra peered down at the dress before looking back up at the woman in front of her. “It is? Is it too tight? Too short? I was sure I got the measurements right.” “Oh! No, Cass, no. It’s not the fitting at all–it’s actually a perfect fit for me. The material it’s made of is just really…rough? I’m not sure how to describe it. It just makes my skin sort of itch if I move too much or too quickly.” The brunette sighed, visibly relieved. “Oh. Yeah, I kind of figured that was going to happen. Donna mentioned she didn’t have enough of the fabric she usually uses to make dresses, so she had to improvise. The Duke wasn’t going to stock up on those materials for another two months, and I wanted to do this sooner rather than later. Before I lost the nerve, I mean.”

[Y/N] giggled. “Oh, alright. Well, aside from that, I think it’s perfect. Just like your suit.” Cassandra smirked. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long while before the brunette seemed to remember something. “Oh, are the heels alright? They didn’t have your exact size, and I wasn’t sure what to do to accommodate it.” [Y/N] scowled. “Ah, well…they’re a bit too tight. It sort of hurts to walk in them, if I’m being honest.” Cassandra hummed in thought. “You could take them off if you’d like. I want you to be comfortable for this.” “I don’t want to make this weird though.” “Weird?” “Yeah. I mean, I’m not sure what you have planned, but to me it’d be kind of weird if I was the only one walking around without any shoes on.”

Cassandra nodded. “Well, here’s an easy fix,” she said as she slipped her derby shoes off and slid them closer to the nearest wall. She turned back to her. “Now you won’t be the only one without shoes.” [Y/N] stared at her for a moment before giggling with a nod as she slid her heels off and walked to put them next to the other pair. They stood in front of each other again finally. “So,” [Y/N] chirped with a newfound confidence. “What all do you have planned for tonight?” Cassandra’s previously settled nerves spiked up again, popping her knuckles anxiously as she cleared her throat. “Oh, well, I–” She looked up at her sisters, who were nodding their heads and mouthing words of encouragement. “I figured that–since I had both of these formal outfits made for a special reason–we could maybe…wear them for a special occasion? So, I thought maybe dancing alone together would be fitting.”

She finally looked back down at [Y/N] after several seconds of no response, only to find the girl staring back at her with a bewildered expression. Gulping much louder than she meant to, Cassandra brought her hands behind her back to pick at them. “What? Was this a bad idea?” Snapping out of it after noticing how crushed Cassandra was at the possibility, [Y/N] waved her hands dismissively in a panicked manner. “Oh, no, not at all! I’m so sorry, Cass, I didn’t mean to worry you. I just…this isn’t like you at all. I really wasn’t expecting any of this. I’m really happy that you’re wanting to do this with me–especially so much so that you had these outfits made specifically for us. I’m just surprised is all.”

Cassandra let out a heavy sigh at the reassurance. “Oh, thank god. I thought you were going to tell me you didn’t like this idea at all.” “No, of course not! I absolutely love the idea of being able to dance with you. I think it’s really romantic.”

They beamed gleefully at one another, feeling their anxiety slowly wash away. After a moment, Cassandra turned to face the pianist for a brief moment to nod and show she’s ready to begin. A slow, steady melody began to play, reverberating through the walls of the large room. The brunette faced [Y/N] again and held out her hand. “May I have this dance?” [Y/N] returned her radiant smile and placed her hand in the one offered to her. “Of course.” As they stepped closer to begin the dance, Cassandra couldn’t help but glance down and notice a fading red handprint on [Y/N]’s forearm. She grasped her wrist and pulled her arm up to get a better look. “Who the hell did this?” Bela stepped forward to lean over the railing above. “Cass, come on, don’t ruin the moment like that. Daniela just got a little too excited bringing her here, that’s all. It’s nothing serious.”

The brunette scowled up at the redhead, who yelped and stepped out of view. [Y/N] laughed softly, bringing Cassandra’s attention back to her. “It’s alright, Cass, I promise. I’m not upset about it–like Bela said, she was just excited. It’s a good thing she was excited to bring me here and not annoyed, don’t you think?” The brunette studied the girl’s carefree expression for a moment before she sighed with a small smirk. She pulled [Y/N] close to her again and began to lead the dance. “Okay, but just so you know, Daniela,” she announced, raising her voice and putting emphasis on her name so the redhead knew she was addressing her as well. “You aren’t going to get by for this, even if [Y/N] tries to stop me.”

“They really are in love with each other,” Daniela praised, resting her chin against her palm as she leaned against the railing to watch Cassandra and [Y/N] as they waltzed around the room, laughing as they shared small jokes. She sighed. “Why can’t I find someone to do this stuff with?” Bela smirked knowingly and rolled her eyes. “Probably because you kill every living being after playing with them and leading them on.” Daniela faked a gasp. “Hey! It is not my fault that everyone who falls for me doesn't meet my standards. People need to do better.” “Is that really it? Or is it because you love to taunt those people and end up craving their flesh and blood?” “I–You know what? I feel attacked. I’m too good for all of those people, and I stand by that statement.” She huffed and crossed her arms, glancing at Bela through the corner of her eye, both of them trying to bite back a smile, before they both erupted into a fit of giggles.

Once they caught their breath, the two sisters turned back to observe the couple still dancing around to the music. Bela sighed. “It’s really not like Cass to be this affectionate with anyone, but I do have to admit: it is a breath of fresh air to see her care so deeply for this girl. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as she gets when she even thinks of [Y/N].” Daniela hummed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I feel the same way. She really deserves to feel loved by someone who’s so devoted to her.”

They fell silent for a while, watching with admiration as Cassandra never failed to crack a joke that resulted in [Y/N] bursting into laughter, their steps faltering, then getting back on track, only to grow unsteady again as they laughed together. After a moment, Daniela leaned over and nudged Bela’s arm with her elbow to gain her attention. “So, when they get married, who do you think is going to take the other’s last name?” Bela looked at her as if she were crazy, though her smile never dropped. “Are you kidding? Cass has been wanting [Y/N] to take her last name since they started dating. Plus, she’s too prideful of her status and reputation to change her last name.” “True, but you see how in love she is with [Y/N]. There could be a chance she does the unexpected and takes [Y/N]’s last name instead.” Bela raised an eyebrow.

They turned their attention back to the two below, only to find Cassandra staring back up at them with a warm smile. The brunette briefly averted her attention to press a gentle kiss to [Y/N]’s cheek before glaring back up at them again. She mouthed a silent ‘thank you.’ Daniela gave a thumbs up with a wink while Bela nodded and mouthed a quick ‘you’re welcome.’ She turned back to the redhead and subtly motioned to Cassandra with her head. “Yeah, no, [Y/N] is definitely going to be taking on the family name.”