Sweets

Sweets

[Attack On Titan] Modern! Annie Leonhart x G!N Reader

Word count: 1.2k

Proof-Read: No

Content Warnings: None!

[A/N]: Sorry for kinda just...disappearing! I've had a bunch of exams already, and I got overwhelmed. I'm working on different stories/preferences/imagines for all kinds of characters, so bear with me as I try to start writing again! Also, thank you all so much for the support on my first three posts! I was really nervous to post my works on here, but I'm so relieved to know you enjoy them!

I hope you enjoy this as well!

-Okay, so–

-We know Annie has a sweet tooth and absolutely loves sweet foods like pastries

-So, when she comes home one day to the smell of something deliciously sweet, wandering into the kitchen to investigate who could be responsible for her mouth watering and stomach growling, she’s surprised to see you in front of the oven

-She examines you for a moment

-You’re in a apron dusted in flour and sugar, and your hair is tied back to keep it out of your face

-She has always adored seeing you get focused and enthusiastic about your interests, so when she sees your concentrated face as you level off the cakes, she can’t bite back the smile that paints her lips

-You can bake?

-And it actually looks and smells good?

-She falls in love all over again

-After a moment of her staring, you finally notice her

-You turn back with a smile and wave

-”Oh, hi, Annie! You’re just in time! Wanna help me frost and decorate these cakes? I’m making them for Sasha’s birthday.”

-She absentmindedly nods and walks over to you

-She takes a small part of the layer of cake you had cut off to level it, pops it in her mouth, and hums

-Her outward reaction is minimal, but inside she’s ecstatic

-Not only does your cake look and smell good, it tastes incredible too!

-She fails to realize that a cheeky grin crosses her face, so she’s really confused when you chuckle

-”I’m guessing it tastes good?”

-She looks at you in confusion

-You point to your own mouth and then to her

-She finally registers that she’s smiling and blushes, turning her head away to hide herself a bit

-She still nods though

-You smile and turn back to the cakes

-At length, she turns back and watches as you layer the cakes with buttercream

-”What do you need me to do?” She asks

-”Oh. I was gonna see if you could help with the decorating. You’re really good at painting and drawing and stuff, so I feel like it’ll look way better if you decorate it instead.”

-If Annie’s blush wasn’t noticeable before, it certainly was now

-Sure, she’s used to getting compliments, but never on her personal hobbies

-And the fact that compliment came from you? Her favorite person?

-That alone made her heart flip

-”O-Oh, uh…sure.”

-She mentally slaps herself for stuttering

-You nod and finish putting the cakes together

-Once you finish, you wash your hands and dry them before handing her a spare apron

-She puts it on and waits as you gather the materials

-”What exactly is she wanting on the cake?”

-”Oh, she said she wanted something, like…forest-themed? I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that. That’s kinda why I was hoping you’d agree to helping me decorate.”

-You let out a nervous chuckle

-Her expression is dead serious, however, as she puts a finger to her chin, the gears in her head visibly turning

-She takes her art very seriously

-She’s not going to goof around for this

-She grabs a piping bag with green frosting and gets to work

-You watch her for a bit, occasionally asking if there’s anything she needs help with, but she only shakes her head each time, her eyebrows furrowed together as she focuses on keeping her hands steady

-You realize after a moment that she wants to work on this on her own

-Instead of standing around and just watching her, you work your way around her and clean up the mess from everything else

-She’s still working by the time you finish, so you head into the living room and put on a movie

-It’s nearly two hours later when she emerges from the kitchen, small splatters of green and brown icing peppering her face and apron

-”I'm finished if you want to take a look.”

-She seems almost shy as she says this

-As stated before, she takes her art very seriously because it’s a very important personal hobby to her

-She wants you to approve of her work

-Your opinion is very important to her, even if she’s not the best at expressing it

-You smile and walk with her back over to the counter

-Leaning over to get a full view of the cake, your lips part themselves in awe

-You stay silent a little too long as Annie watches anxiously, and she assumes the worst

-”If you hate it, you can just tell me…”

-You turn to her, confused, barely realizing why she seems so upset

-”Oh! No, Annie, I don’t hate it at all! I love it. I-I’m sorry it came across that way. I’ve just…I’ve only seen your art a couple times. It just always blows me away how you know just what to do with the colors and concepts. You truly are incredible at doing what you love.”

-Your words make her heart flutter, yet another layer of blush dusting her cheeks

-She bows her head down to stare at her feet, unsure of how to properly thank you for your compliments

-Finally, she mumbles a soft, “thank you,” before wringing her hands together

-”Do you mind if I take a picture?”

-She shakes her head and takes the time you use to snap a photo to calm herself down

-You both wait for the icing to dry a bit before covering the cake and storing it in the fridge

-As you take your aprons off, Annie taps your shoulder

-You turn to find her blushing yet again and averting her gaze

-”U-Um…If you, uh…If you need help decorating anything next time you bake something, I’m willing to help.”

-You don’t respond, so she finally looks up

-Her blush worsens as she sees you staring at her with a warm smile, your eyes soft and welcoming

-”I think that’s a really good idea, Annie. We could be a little baking team.”

-She rolls her eyes at your slight enthusiasm, but she still smiles at the thought

-Each time you bake something after that, no matter how small, Annie’s always there to decorate it with or for you

-Sometimes you’ll switch things up

-She’ll bake the treat, with plenty of your guidance, and you’ll decorate, with constant suggestions and reassurances

-Holidays are especially fun because she gets really extra with designs and colors

-On Halloween, she’ll decorate your cookies and cupcakes to make them look like creatures such as spiders and roaches

-It always grosses everyone else out at first, but they truly do admire both the taste and the visuals

-Annie starts to get more compliments on her art and even starts to share it publicly

-She creates an Instagram account after plenty of your encouragement and occasionally posts pictures of her sketches, paintings, and always tags you in her posts of what you’ve created together

-Gains a large following rather quickly, and she’ll never admit it out loud, but she’s much happier and more confident in her work

-After a while, she even starts to consider going back to college to finish her Major in Art

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.”

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.

Hug Me

[Attack On Titan] Modern! Touch-Starved! Annie Leonhart x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Brief mentions of slight bullying/toxic friendships

[A/N]: I had planned on adding much more to this, but I wanted to keep it relatively short so I can move on to the next character I plan to write for. I've got a masterlist in my drafts where I'm linking each post I've made for every character, but I don't plan on posting it until I've written for all of the characters I plan on writing for.

Enjoy!

Annie shuffled through her backpack for the spare key to [Y/N]’s house, cursing under her breath as she struggled. “Come on, dammit. I know I grabbed them on the way out.” Just as her finger grazed the key ring, the front door flew open to reveal [Y/N] standing there with a warm smile. “Annie, hey! Glad you could make it.” Annie raised an eyebrow and zipped her bag back up. “You sound like I’m showing up to a party of some kind.” [Y/N] chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. “Sorry, I’m just happy you’re actually here.” “I promised I’d come, didn’t I?” “Well, yeah, but…” She looked off to the side, her genuine smile becoming forced. Annie tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s not important. Uh…why don’t you come in?” The [h/c] girl stepped to the side, allowing Annie to walk past her into the den. The blonde gave her a confused--and concerned--glance as she headed inside. [Y/N] quickly locked the door and motioned for Annie to follow her upstairs to her bedroom. They trailed up the steps and into the girl’s room, where Annie often found herself staying when she felt upset or lonely. She dropped her bag down beside the door and took a seat in her usual spot against the headboard, far enough over that she could lean against the wall.

She watched [Y/N]’s movements, which seemed anxious as she searched the room for something to distract herself with. “[Y/N], if something is wrong, you can tell me. Who upset you? You know I’ll kick their ass for you, I just need a name.” A small chuckle passed the girl’s lips at Annie’s comment. The blonde felt more at ease now that she got her to smile. “It’s okay. Just had a few bad experiences with people in the past. It’s not happening anymore, it’s just painful to remember those times.” Annie nodded understandingly. She headed over to her bag and unzipped it. She dug through it for a moment, groaning as she failed to find what she was looking for. “No no no. Ugh, goddammit. I knew I was forgetting something.”

[Y/N] stepped over to peer inside the bag curiously. “What’d you forget?” Annie blushed and looked down, ashamed of what she was going to admit. “You know that stuffed lion I always have with me when I come here? The one I sleep with?” [Y/N] nodded. “I, uh…I forgot to grab it before I headed over.” “Oh.” The blonde sighed and put her bag down. “It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it was only a fidget toy. The problem is: I can’t fall asleep without it.” She never told anyone about this. She found it humiliating that she still had to cradle a stuffed animal at night just to sleep. She felt like a child.

“Oh, I know what you mean. I have the same problem–though I don’t really think it’s a bad thing. I don’t see why people find it so strange that others have comfort objects.” Annie looked up at her in surprise. “You…you sleep with something too?” [Y/N] nodded. “I don’t usually hold it when I have company over since I don’t know who will judge me and who won’t, but yeah. You can hold it tonight if you want to. I don’t mind.” Annie fidgeted with her hands, slowly nodding at length as she returned to her spot on the bed. [Y/N] headed over to the closet and picked something up from under a blanket. She turned to reveal a stuffed panda bear the size of a large pillow. She brought it over and handed it to the blonde with a smile.

“My great grandmother gave it to me before she passed. I didn’t know her very well since I was really young when she died, but it still brings me a lot of comfort.” Annie took it gently from her hands and examined it, her thumbs rubbing circles against the soft, soothing material it was made of. She slowly brought it to her lap and placed it down before cradling it against her chest. She sighed at the contact and blushed, trying to hide it with the head of the bear. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. [Y/N] smiled down at her and nodded before sitting down at the foot of the bed. “Of course.”

They sat there for a while in silence. Annie picked delicately at one of the ears that had been partially torn off, silently wondering what had happened. Probably from aging–[Y/N] had said that she had gotten it at a very young age. Surely it had been through some things during the girl’s early childhood. “So…why do you find comfort in holding things?” Annie’s eyes flickered up to see [Y/N] gazing back at her softly. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks again, spreading up to her ears. “O-Oh, well…I honestly didn’t start holding things at night until high school hit a couple of years ago.”

“Really? What caused it?” The blonde averted her gaze and stared down at the bear in her arms. “I just–um…I like to pretend it's the girl I like,” she admitted sheepishly. [Y/N]’s brows raised in surprise, a small smile toying on her lips. “Oh, that’s really sweet! Maybe someday you’ll get to hold her instead. I’m sure you will.” [Y/N] sounded as though she was being genuine, but there was something else behind her tone that Annie couldn’t quite figure out. “I hope so,” is all she said for a while. Finally, she glanced up. “What about you?” “Hm?” “Why do you find comfort in holding things?” [Y/N] smiled sadly and toyed with her fingers.

“Oh. Because I’m too worried about holding an actual person. I’m worried I’ll make them uncomfortable, or they’ll find me annoying, or–something like that. I don’t know. It just gets so lonely in my room. None of the people I call my “friends” ever stay more than a couple of hours, and that’s just because they’re always ranting to me and never listening to my own problems. I know they’re horrible people, but…I just want people to like me.”

Annie felt her heart aching at the girl’s words. How long had this been going on? Did [Y/N] talk to anyone about this at all? It seemed she truly was as lonely and touch-starved as herself.

“Oh, [Y/N], I had no idea.” [Y/N] chuckled and wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. “It’s alright. I just keep telling myself that someone will come along eventually–probably after high school, honestly. High school students are such bitches.” Annie smiled softly as the girl giggled at her own words. She turned to the blonde and pondered something for a moment. “Annie?” “Yes?” “Can I…can I hug you? Just for a little bit?” Annie’s eyebrows raised in surprise–the same way [Y/N]’s had done just moments ago. She cursed at herself mentally as she felt her face growing red once again. "I-I would..." She averted her gaze and cleared her throat. “I would like that. A lot.”

Within a moment, [Y/N] was across the bed and in front of Annie, tossing her arms over the blonde’s shoulders and pulling her close for one of those warm hugs that Annie had grown so obsessed with over the past few months. She gasped suddenly, her hands flying up to grip [Y/N]’s shoulders. She stayed there for a while, frozen in shock, before the [h/c] girl let out a choked sob. Out of pure instinct, Annie’s arms lowered themselves to move the stuffed bear to the side before pulling her even closer, letting her rest her head against her shoulder.

She felt herself tearing up, just then realizing that she wanted to be held by [Y/N] most of all, even if they weren’t together the way she dreamed. Just feeling her warmth and having the opportunity to take in her scent calmed her and made her happy. She closed her eyes, turning her head and burying her nose into the [h/c] girl’s neck. They stayed like that for a while, Annie gently swaying the two of them back and forth and rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Although she hated to, [Y/N] did eventually lean back from the hug to wipe her eyes. She smiled tiredly at the blonde. “Sorry for getting so emotional. This year has been…really rough. You just–you’ve helped me through so much already, and I’ve wanted to hold you like that for so long.” Annie blushed, but didn’t mind it this time, a blissful smile painting her lips. “You don’t have to apologize. You’ve helped me through a lot too, believe me. I owe you so much. And I want you to know that hugging doesn’t feel like a chore to me–I really do enjoy getting to be so close to you.” They gazed at each other lovingly for a long moment, unable to hide their smiles. Finally, Annie looked down. “U-Um…so, I was thinking: maybe we could–and you don’t have to say yes–I just thought that maybe we could…”

She sighed after a second, growing embarrassed even further as [Y/N] giggled at her sudden inability to speak properly. “Just take your time. I’m not going to judge you for anything you ask,” she said softly as she rubbed Annie’s arms. “I was just wondering if we could maybe…c-cuddle? Like, while we sleep?” [Y/N] froze, though the blonde didn’t notice because she was still avoiding eye contact. After nearly a solid half-minute of no response, she glanced up through her eyelashes with pleading eyes. “Please…?” [Y/N] stared in shock for another long moment. Annie was about to apologize and tell her to forget about it, but the [h/c] girl suddenly smiled widely and nodded. “I would absolutely love that,” she finally said.

Annie felt her heart flutter. They stared at each other yet again, not sure what move to make to get comfortable and fall asleep. Finally, [Y/N] lied down on the pillow next to Annie, who then shifted down to lie beside her. Sheepishly, she scooted forward and placed her head on [Y/N]’s chest. [Y/N] smiled down warmly at her and wrapped her arms around the blonde to pull her closer. Annie could feel her heart racing–pounding against her ribs–but she didn’t feel ashamed this time because she could hear [Y/N]’s heart beating just as quickly.

She smiled, nuzzled closer, and closed her eyes with a small, soft sigh of content.

Crown of Flowers

[The Owl House] Amity Blight x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.02k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of anxiety, but nothing too serious.

[A/N]: Story 2/3 for Amity--one more to go. I'll write for Boscha next, as promised.

Enjoy!

A soft chuckle of amusement slipped past Amity’s lips, her free hand coming up to cover them out of surprise. “What?” She questioned as her steps faltered from the increasing volume of her laughter as she replayed the statement in her mind. [Y/N]’s face flushed as she shared a smile. “Oh, I guess by that reaction I’m wrong.” Her finger gently tapped at her cheek before she looked down in embarrassment. “You really thought people said “break a leg” to actors because every play has a cast?” Again, Amity’s laughter grew in volume, adding to [Y/N]’s flustered expression and making the girl’s face turn an even brighter shade of red.

She playfully nudged Amity’s arm as she failed to bite back her own snicker. “It’s not my fault! Someone seriously told me that’s why people say that, okay?” Her gaze dropped down as she thought for a moment. “Although, now that I think about it, they probably just wanted to see how gullible I am. Guess I fell for it after all.” The two continued to laugh together as they sauntered through the field of grass, which now reached their knees.

A few minutes into walking forward led to a parting of the soft, green blades, revealing an opening of flat, neatly trimmed grass littered with multicolored flowers. [Y/N]’s eyes lit up at the sight of them, though she didn’t move towards them until the two decided they should set up their picnic there. She unfolded the blanket that she had tucked away in the crease of her elbow and let it flutter in the air for a moment before tugging the corners down to flatten it out on the ground. As Amity placed the carefully woven basket down and began to pull a few wrapped items out from it, [Y/N] moved to pick a few of the fully bloomed flowers nearby.

Lavender strands of hair twirled against Amity’s features and framed her face as she turned her head to find where [Y/N] had gone. An eyebrow raised, and she tilted her head to the side with a curious grin. “What’re you doing?” She asked, picking up one of the sandwiches and unwrapping it. She took a small bite out of one of the corners and hummed slightly at the flavor. “Oh, I just wanted to see if I still remember how to make a flower crown,” [Y/N] replied after a moment. She turned at length with a handful of wildflowers and lilies–the only ones that had fully grown in the area so far.

“Flower crown? What’s that?” Before the [h/c] girl could answer, Amity chuckled to herself and crossed her legs as she sat down. “Never mind. How do you make them?” [Y/N] drifted over and sat across from Amity, whose face turned pink at the realization of how close they were sitting to one another. “Well, it’s been a really long time since I’ve made one,” came her reply. A fond smile graced [Y/N]’s lips as she sorted the flowers out by color in front of her.

She plucked a few up from the fabric of the blanket beneath her and lightly bent the stems to test their flexibility. “My older cousin and I used to make them all the time when we were little.” Amity beamed at her and leaned forward to watch, wrapping her food back up and letting it settle on top of her lap. “Why’d you stop?” [Y/N] shrugged gently and let her smile drop. “After she got married–she’s much older than you and I–we stopped spending time together. We still talked here and there, but we never really saw each other in person. I guess I could’ve kept making them on my own, but…it just didn’t seem as special, you know?”

Amity’s gaze softened at seeing how upset she seemed. Without thinking it all the way through, her free hand came up and gently cupped one of [Y/N]’s. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was why. I get the feeling I shouldn’t have asked about it.” “No, no, it’s okay, I promise. Those memories make me happy. And it’s not like she and I hate each other or anything. We just fell apart.”

The air, now filled with silence, fell uncomfortably upon their shoulders. Just as Amity parted her lips to ask if she was okay, [Y/N] cleared her throat and began to toy with the stems, weaving the flowers together almost effortlessly. “I think I remember how to do it,” she spoke softly. Her eyes flickered back up to Amity’s, prompting the girl to blush again and lean back, letting her hand drop down onto the blanket next to her.

“Want me to make you one?” Now surprised, Amity turned to her fully. “What?” [Y/N] smiled with a small hum and picked up another flower to add to the already growing chain. “Do you want me to make you a flower crown? I think it would look good on you.” If the question alone wasn’t enough to make the lavender-haired girl’s face turn a darker shade of red, the compliment at the end certainly was. It made her breath hitch temporarily in her throat. She coughed to stop herself from choking and covered her mouth with a fist to hide the sound of her gulping down her sheepishness.

“O-Oh, you don’t have to. It’s really up to you,” was all she could mutter out. The offer was small, she knew that, but it still had her heart hammering against her ribs and pounding in her ears.

She had met [Y/N] only a few months prior in school. Being the only human known to live on the Boiling Isles, [Y/N] immediately caught her interest. Not only because of the fact her ears were round and she was attending a school founded on magic without the ability to do so, but also because of how kind and carefree the girl appeared to be. She even seemed to be kind to the cruelest people around–always trying to hear them out to understand their point of view.

Before she knew it, Amity had fallen for her.

They hadn’t even had a proper conversation by the time she realized her feelings.

She kept her emotions hidden, of course, as was her mother’s expectations for all three of her children. Once she grew closer to [Y/N], Gus, and rekindled her previous friendship with Willow, however, it was evident that she wouldn’t be able to hide how she felt forever. One way or another, she’d have to confess. If she didn’t, she’d lose her mind worrying about whether or not someone else would come along and win [Y/N]’s heart over instead. On more than one occasion, she thought about asking Willow or Gus what to do, but she knew they’d probably find a way to let [Y/N] know of her feelings before she was ready. That was something she wasn’t willing to risk.

If she was going to confess to the girl of her dreams, she wanted to do it on her own terms. And if that meant waiting for the right time, then so be it. She would wait a million years if that’s what it took. Her plan so far was to ask her to Grom, and then hopefully confess either during or after the event. Despite how her mother would react, Amity knew she’d be proud to have [Y/N] on her arm. She always boasted about how amazing she was anyway–if they were to ever have something more, being able to call [Y/N] her own would leave her feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

It wasn’t just how [Y/N] treated others that made Amity fall so hard–it was also how selfless she seemed to be. She made Amity feel more loved than she ever had before. Anytime she felt down, whether it be over something that happened at home or at school, [Y/N] was always there to comfort her. Before the day ended, she’d have her crying from laughter rather than sorrow or pain, and she preferred those tears far more.

“Amity? Hello? Are you in there?”

Blinking from surprise, Amity snapped out of her trance, not realizing until then that she had been staring directly at [Y/N] without responding to her. She quickly averted her gaze, looking down at her hands as they picked at each other in her lap. “Sorry! I just–my mind wandered. I didn’t mean to stop listening.”

[Y/N] giggled at her words, forcing a smile to tug at the corners of her lips. “It’s alright, I do that all the time. I understand completely.” Finally, after a few moments, Amity lifted her head to make eye contact again. “So, uh…what were you asking me?” “Oh! I was just wondering if flower crowns are a thing on the Isles. You seemed really surprised when I mentioned them earlier.” [Y/N] glanced down at the crown she had made so far, which was now partially finished. “Well, okay, maybe not surprised, but confused.”

Amity thought for a second, trying to wrack her brain for any memory of them. “If they are a thing here, I haven’t ever seen or heard of one before. Then again, most of the plants here can be deadly in one way or another. It wouldn’t surprise me if people know of them, but are just too hesitant to make one.” A nervous expression creased [Y/N]’s features as her hands froze. She glanced at the flowers between her fingers.

“Uh, these aren’t going to kill me, are they?” Amity giggled and studied the petals of the ones that had been picked. “No, they shouldn’t. The plants that are dangerous–to us witches, anyway–are over towards the wilderness. Most of these are domesticated. A lot of people in the Plant Coven actually plant them to add to the scenery. Willow might’ve even helped at some point.”

A breath of relief escaped [Y/N], who then smiled and continued to work with the flowers in her hold. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I’d end up with some kind of rash or pus pockets. Again.” Amity laughed heartily and scooted forward. “No, you’ll be fine. If not, Emira can help treat pretty much everything.” They shared a grin. Silence fell between them again, though it was far more comforting this time. Amity silently watched [Y/N] work, admiring how deftly her fingers wove the thin stems together.

Several minutes later, a small, “aha!” sounded from [Y/N], who then held the crown up delicately. “I guess I do remember after all. Not bad, especially considering how long it’s been since I last made one.” She turned it in her hands before her eyes glanced back up at Amity, who smiled awkwardly. “Want me to put it on for you?” Again, her face turned a shade of crimson. The tips of her fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt and hooked around the hem to grip on. “Oh, I-I–suppose so.”

As [Y/N] lifted the crown up slightly higher, Amity dipped her head down far enough to reach. She shuddered almost unnoticeably at the feeling of the feathery petals grazing the top of her head before planting themselves around the crown of her head. “There we go.” At that, she lifted her head up again, tightening her grasp on her shirt as [Y/N] squealed and pulled out her phone.

“I was right! It looks so pretty on you!” Amity felt her head grow woozy from the amount of times she had grown flustered. She couldn’t have prevented the wide smile that graced her lips if she tried. “Mind if I take a picture? This whole scenery right here,” [Y/N] started, her hand coming up and making a circular motion to refer to what she saw in front of her, “is absolutely perfect.”

Apparently, [Y/N] hadn’t realized what her comment had really meant–or at least how it had come across to Amity. She seemed utterly confused when Amity was left rendered speechless. “Are you okay? There wasn’t something in that sandwich, was there?” After dragging both hands down her face and taking a deep breath, Amity managed to squeak out a small, “no, I’m fine,” before readjusting how she was sitting. “Is a picture okay? It’s fine if you say no,” [Y/N] reassured.

All Amity could do in her sheepish state was nod and give a thumbs up. Another smile crossed [Y/N]’s features as she tapped on her camera icon and held up her phone. She tilted the device a few times to find the perfect angle before pausing and snapping a quick photo. Her arms dropped down, and the pad of her thumb clicked on the most recent photo taken, allowing her to see what she had just captured. Her face burned brightly–almost reaching the same shade of red as Amity’s.

“Oh, wow,” she whispered.

Amity’s attention snapped to her again, her head perking up. “Is something wrong? Was there something on my face?” Absentmindedly, she swiped at her mouth, hoping there hadn’t been anything from the food left there. [Y/N] shook her head lightly, unable to tear her eyes away from her screen. “Was my hair doing something weird?” Again, a small shake of the head was her response. “Then what’s wrong?”

[Y/N] finally forced herself to clear her throat and speak. “Nothing’s wrong. I just, um…it’s not important, really. I was right though: you’re really pretty.” They gawked at each other in silence, both faces bright. Eventually, [Y/N]’s eyes snapped to the basket beside Amity. “So,” she started, mentally slapping herself when her voice cracked and shook. “What did you pack to eat?” Amity jumped at the sudden question. “Huh?” She turned around to look at the basket, which she had forgotten about entirely. “Oh, I just–I packed some–just some sandwiches and f-fruit.”

She picked out a random pair of the two and handed them over, unable to make even a split second of eye contact. “Thanks.”

Uneasily, [Y/N] unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite out of it. Neither of the girls knew what to say, although an idea came to mind when Amity finally let her hand lift up to feel the crown of flowers on her head. “So, do you think you could teach me how to make one of these?” [Y/N] hummed in confusion as she looked up. A small smile finally took place on her lips again. She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth before speaking. “Oh, yeah, of course I can. What kind of flowers do you want to use?”

 Several weeks had passed since [Y/N] taught Amity how to make a flower crown. Over those weeks, she had been working any chance she could to perfect her ability to make them. After school, before and after dinner, during lunch, every weekend, she’d find a decent amount of flowers and make a crown of them. Each time she started a new one, she’d refer to what she had done with the previous one, studying how the stems wrapped around one another and figuring out how to make it better.

And yet, somehow, she also managed to keep her grades up and go to every showcase her parents had planned for her father’s inventions. She was exhausted all the time, but she was fueled by her determination to make things perfect. During the days she spent working on improving the flower crown, she also planned the best way to confess how she felt to [Y/N], who was unaware of all that she was doing. She studied plant language with Willow’s help, and found the right flowers to use for her confession.

Finally, after weaving yet another flower crown together after school one evening, Amity held it up and smiled widely. She knew this was the one she wanted to use for the occasion. Carefully, she used part of her magic to summon a protective bubble around it before gently tucking it away in her closet to make sure Edric and Emira wouldn’t snoop around and find it. She didn’t want to ruin any part of her plan, and although she was on much better terms with her older siblings, she still didn’t want to risk anything.

The only two people who knew of Amity’s plans were Willow and Gus, who were both sworn to secrecy. She waited until it was only a day or two before she carried it out, already noticing that the two of her friends were acting strangely around [Y/N], squirming with excitement and struggling not to blurt out what was going to happen.

She fell asleep that night without struggle, the fatigue from the past several weeks finally catching up to her. She was anxious about things, sure, but she knew she’d have to be well rested in order for things to go according to plan, so she focused on the positive instead.

After classes the next day, [Y/N] waltzed to her locker and waved to a few of her classmates as they headed out the main entrance. She tickled the surface of said locker and quickly placed her books from the day into the large mouth, freezing once she spotted a folded sheet of paper tucked away in the corner. She pulled it from the small space and unfolded it after retrieving her arm before the mouth of the locker could shut on her. With piqued interest, she read the note. She blushed lightly once she recognized Amity’s pristine handwriting.

[Y/N],

Please meet me in the flower field we usually go to after school. I have something really important I need to talk to you about.

-Amity

She felt her fingers gripping the paper tightly, quickly loosening said grip before she could accidentally tear it. “She wants to talk to me about something?” She asked herself softly. A quick glance around the hallway let her know that no one had heard her. With a newfound excitement, she pocketed the letter and began jogging towards the exit and all the way toward where Eda usually picked her up. On time for once, Eda flew down quickly on Owlbert and greeted her.

“Hey, kiddo. Miss Bossy Boots told me I needed to take you out to that field by the Titan’s skull, and that I needed to make it quick. I was gonna just tell her no, but she offered to pay, and you know I’m not gonna turn down some easy money. Hop on.”

[Y/N] smiled at Eda’s nickname for Amity and chuckled at her comment about the payment. She hopped onto the staff and watched as Eda motioned for Owlbert to take off. The two of them flew through the air towards the same flower field she had made a flower crown for Amity over a month prior. About halfway there, Eda turned her head to talk. “So, do you know why she wants you there so quickly? She refused to fill me in on anything. Said I was gonna blab about it when I picked you up.”

“No, I have no idea what’s going on. She left a note for me before you got me though.” Carefully, [Y/N] plucked the sheet of paper out from her pocket and held it tight enough not to fly away with the high winds. Eda’s eyes seemed to sparkle, her eyebrows raising as she smirked knowingly. “Ah, I see,” was all she said. She turned back around and managed to get Owlbert to fly a bit faster to their destination.

After what felt like forever to [Y/N], they landed down in the center of the field. Eda gave her a small hug after she got off of the staff, then turned to face Amity and gave her a thumbs up before flying off again, giving the two girls privacy. Amity waited a moment, watching Eda fly further until she couldn’t be seen before letting her gaze drop down to [Y/N], who stared back at her expectantly.

She walked closer to the [h/c] girl with a sheepish smile. “Hey,” she mumbled out loud enough to hear. [Y/N] grinned back, her energy now matching Amity’s. “Hi,” she uttered back. They both glanced down at their own feet, unsure of what to say, before [Y/N] finally lifted up her hand to show the note that had been left in her locker. “You wanted to talk to me about something?” She questioned. Amity’s face flushed even more and she nodded. “Yeah, I figured now was the best time to do it. I didn’t want to wait any longer.” Barely noticing it, [Y/N] glanced at Amity’s arms, which were tucked behind her back as if they were hiding something. “What’s that?” She asked.

“You’ll see in a moment. It’s a surprise.”

[Y/N] cocked an eyebrow before nodding. “Okay…” She stepped a little closer, folding the letter again and tucking it away in the same pocket as before. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Amity sucked in a deep breath, cleared her throat, and forced herself to finally gaze into [Y/N]’s eyes, which were creased slightly with concern.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. She internally swooned at how kind [Y/N]’s steady glare was, even as the two of them struggled to maintain their composure. “Well,” she started, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat again out of embarrassment before trying again. “Well, I wanted to kind of…confess something to you.” The gears seemed to visibly turn in [Y/N]’s head at her words before a look of recognition and understanding crossed her features.

“Oh,” was all she could say. Amity inhaled as she repeated the words she had been rehearsing in her mind for days. She hoped her voice would remain steady enough to help [Y/N] understand that she wasn’t hesitant, just shy. This was the first time she had ever confessed to someone. She had read about it plenty of times in all of the stories she would read, but she had never even pictured herself carrying out a confession of her own until now.

She had never needed to gather so much courage before–this was all so new to her. Her mind raced with every possibility of how this could go wrong, every way she could be rejected by the one person who seemed to genuinely love and care for her. She just kept telling herself that she had to keep her composure long enough for this moment, and that if it went well, she wouldn’t have to do so much for a while.

“I’m not really sure how to transition into the whole speech I had planned in a smooth way, so I’m just gonna say what I’ve had on my mind for so long now. Ever since you came here, you’ve caught my interest. From the moment I saw you laughing and making friends so easily with everyone around you, I envied you. At least, I thought I did. Looking back on it now, I think I envied those you befriended–and I envied them because I wanted you to look at me and laugh with me the way you did with them. You’re so kind, and understanding, and patient, and so many other things I can’t even begin to describe.

“You make me feel like I’m deserving of every good thing that happens to me, all except you because you’re too good for me. You’re too good for this world. Sure, it seems like the human realm is far more cruel than the Isles, but no matter what happens, you always face everything with a sense of determination I’ve never seen in anyone before. You always seem to know what to say. I can’t even begin to imagine how many people you’ve helped without knowing. There’s always this…look in your eyes when you talk to someone. It’s one I can’t really describe, but I always love seeing it there.

“What I’m really trying to say is that I love you, [Y/N]. I know it may seem sudden, especially considering you’ve only been here for a little under a year, but it’s how I feel. And I thought for a while that maybe this feeling was something temporary, but now I can tell it’s not. You’re my everything, [Y/N]. I love everything about you, and I don’t want to picture my life without you in it, even if we’re just friends. After you showed me how to make those flower crowns, I haven’t been able to stop making them on my own.

“I wanted to make one for you, but I wanted it to be perfect, so…” Finally, her hands surfaced in front of her to reveal a flower crown made of daisies, apple blossoms, and red carnations. [Y/N]’s hands folded together and planted themselves to cover her mouth as she teared up, recognizing the meaning behind each flower.

The daisies a symbol of truly loving someone close,

The apple blossoms a way to say “I prefer you before all,”

And the red carnations a declaration of the presenter’s heart aching for who receives them.

A small whimper managed to escape her quivering lips, barely managing to tear her eyes away from the flowers to look Amity in the eye once more.

“I-I made this for you. I had Willow help me pick out the best ones and study the flower language. If you feel the same way, it would mean the world to me if you wore it. If not, I can…take it back home with me, and we can just–pretend this never happened. Whatever it takes to have you in my life, I’ll do it.” She sucked in a breath shakily and willed her hands to steady themselves as she continued to hold out the crown.

Sheepishly, she glanced at her feet for a moment before returning her gaze to meet [Y/N]’s. She gasped softly upon seeing the tears that pricked her eyes. Her build of confidence faltered at the sight, though she was interrupted before she could even get her words out. “I-I don’t even know what to say,” [Y/N] whispered softly, almost inaudibly. “Amity, I’d be proud to be your girlfriend. I’ll absolutely accept the crown.”

Amity’s eyebrows raised in surprise, a soft red dusting her cheeks. “Really?” She questioned after a moment of processing the words. “Of course.” With that, a smile wider than ever before cracked across her lips. She stepped forward and gently placed the flower crown on [Y/N]’s head once the girl leaned down far enough for her to. Once she was sure it was secure there, she stepped back to gaze at her lovingly. “You look beautiful,” she complimented with pure admiration. An idea presented itself in the front of her mind. She summoned her scroll and found her camera app. “Mind if I get a picture? I figured we could have matching wallpapers that way,” she suggested, still unable to wipe the grin from her face.

“Of course I don’t mind,” [Y/N] replied with a giggle. Proudly, Amity snapped a quick photo before opening her settings and selecting it as her wallpaper. She returned to her home screen and stared at the photo, not realizing how absolutely smitten she looked. Again, [Y/N] laughed softly, earning Amity’s attention. “So, that’s the reason you wanted to learn how to make these so badly, huh?”

Amity joined in with her own laughter and nodded. “You could say that, yeah. I also just like hearing you talk about things you’re passionate about. I like seeing the look in your eyes.” Her golden eyes flickered up to the crown of flowers adorning her girlfriend’s head. Her heart swelled at the realization she could now officially call [Y/N] her girlfriend. “And I really like seeing the flowers like this. You look amazing.”

It was [Y/N]’s turn to blush at the compliment. She rubbed the back of her neck shyly and grinned. “Thank you. You do too, but then again, you always do.” Amity couldn’t help the chuckle that sounded from her. “No way. Not as good as you always do.”

The two beamed at each other warmly–lovingly. After a moment or two, Amity held out her hand for [Y/N] to take. When she did, she led her over to a blanket set up in the same spot as last time, accompanied by a small woven basket filled with treats and a few drinks, which she set out once they sat down together. They chatted about things that had happened throughout the day, laughing at jokes they shared. Hours passed by, and by the time they were finished with their food, the sun had already begun to set. Stars made themselves known in the sky, illuminating the ground below until the moon rose and outshone all of them.

Amity motioned for the two of them to lie down, and once they were comfortable, they gazed up at the sky. Neither of them could wipe the lovestruck smiles from their faces. Every time they spoke, they’d glance at each other, and their smiles would widen again.

Finally, as the conversation died down and the sounds of the smaller wildlife grew to fill the silence, Amity’s hand hesitantly lowered itself down to interlock her fingers with [Y/N]’s. She finally let out a breath of fresh air at the feeling of [Y/N] gently squeezing her hand in her own. Her head turned far enough to let her silently study the vibrant flowers still resting atop her head. Her gaze softened even further. She wondered what kind of flowers she’d use when she made a crown for their first proper date. Maybe they could make one for each other to match.

Make Up for It

[The Owl House] Boscha x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.01k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of abandonment.

[A/N]: None!

Enjoy!

A heavy sigh pushed its way through Boscha’s lips, echoing throughout her bedroom as she sat at her vanity, waiting impatiently for her scroll to ping the way she had been expecting it to for over an hour. Three eyes met her reflection in the mirror that sat in front of her. She seemed to search her own gaze and think to herself, wondering if any of this had been a good idea. Ever since the defeat of Belos and the peace brought upon the island by The Collector, the citizens of the Boiling Isles worked together tirelessly to reconstruct their home–both physically and diplomatically.

Boscha had been one of the students at Hexide who worked among others to help rebuild the school. Just recently, they had finally repaired the auditorium where every school event–every pep rally and dance–was held. Principal Bump, after talking it over with multiple teachers, decided to bring Grom Royalty back to tradition, although he made sure more than one student was allowed to fight at a time to ensure there wasn’t a repeat of Grometheus’s near-escape.

Thankfully, Boscha hadn’t been chosen as Grom Royalty. A few random girls from the Beast Keeping Track were selected instead. It was a relief to know she wouldn’t have to face her greatest fear, especially considering how humiliated she would feel if everyone knew just how vulnerable she could get over something so small.

In her mind, she knew it wasn’t necessarily small, but her insecurities festered underneath the surface like the same boiling concoctions Boscha found herself working with almost every day. She felt as though no one would take her seriously if they found out about her worst fear: abandonment.

They’d see me as weak, she’d tell herself, and that was something she couldn’t allow.

Although Grudgby had been put on hold during the repairs, Boscha’s teammates still looked up to her when it came to the sport–amongst other things. As she had told Willow during their confrontation several months prior, everyone else seemed to fall apart the moment the leader was to show any sign of weakness. She wanted her friends to rely on her–to feel as though they could trust her strength.

How could they possibly trust that strength if they knew what broke her? With that information at their disposal, they could shatter her already crumbling reputation at any instant. All she had at that time was her reputation, and she did her best to maintain it.

That included now. As she sat in front of the mirror, gazing absentmindedly at all she had done in the past half hour, she wondered if her plan falling to ruin that evening would dampen her reputation even further. She had gone all out for her date to the dance: she made sure her suit was flawlessly cut and lacking any wrinkles, her perfume was high-dollar, and that her hair was perfect. The usual strands of hair that framed her face remained there, though they had been curled to give a more gentle effect. She styled the rest of her hair to match. Half-up half-down is ultimately what she decided on, and each strand was waved to match her curtain bangs, including the ones that were pinned up on the back of her head.

Everything about her outfit had been meticulously planned. She just hoped it would get the ultimate approval of her peers. More importantly, she hoped it would get the approval of her date for the night.

After a while longer of waiting, she finally decided to head to the dance alone, telling herself that her date for the evening just forgot to let her know that she had already left. How that would be possible, considering it was the biggest event of the school year, she didn’t know, but she refused to believe she was being ditched. As she hopped onto her palisman, Maya, she sent a quick message off to Skara to let her know she was headed towards the school.

On the flight there, she searched the ground below in hopes of spotting her date. Even as her eyes scanned the land without fail, she didn’t spot her there. Occasionally, she’d feel a spark of excitement, thinking she spotted her among the scattered students headed in the same direction, only to feel utterly deflated.

With a huff, she stopped at the entrance of Hexside, allowing Maya to retreat from her physical form as she headed inside, all the way to the auditorium. The large, wide doors were propped open, revealing the scenery behind them: the glowing floor of the stadium, littered with students laughing and cracking jokes together as they danced. Streamers were hung high on the walls, providing enough room for the disco ball to stand out and aid the colorful lights in shimmering around the room.

Boscha couldn’t help but smile at the sight. After all that had happened recently, it was a breath of fresh air to see everyone so carefree. She’d never admit that to anyone though.

She sauntered inside, once again checking her scroll for the message she had been waiting for. Nothing, of course. “Boscha!” She jumped at the sudden voice, her head perking up to let her eyes search for the source. She found Skara waving her over to get her attention. She stood beside Amelia and Cat, who waved to her as well.

A small smile cracked across her lips, Boscha waved back and headed over. She hugged the three before asking if any of them had seen her date. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen her tonight,” Amelia hummed in thought as she recalled seeing the other students throughout the evening. “Me either,” Skara started, “but didn’t she say she’d message you to let you know when she got here?” Boscha nodded. “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten anything.”

“Maybe she’s just running late?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Even as she agreed, Boscha couldn’t help the feeling of overwhelming doubt that crept over her senses. Surely she had to be here somewhere. The service on the Isles hadn’t been great in the area, so maybe her message just didn’t send through? She didn’t know. Instead of physically walking around to find her, she opted for heading up to the top of the bleachers to scan the crowds alone. She told Skara it was so she had a better chance of spotting her, but the reality was she didn’t want anyone to see the pure worry on her face.

An hour and a half had passed, and if Boscha’s nerves hadn’t gotten the better of her before, they certainly did now. Still no word of her date, and no sight of her either. After a while, she had rejoined her friends back on the dance floor, awkwardly ignoring their suggestions to dance for a bit to ease up with a forced grin. “I just wanna save my energy for my “big dance,” you know?”

To try and shake the nerves, she walked around the room here and there, all while checking her scroll. Still nothing.

Just as she made it a few feet away from her friend group again, her scroll finally pinged. She clicked it, and confusion riddled her features at the sight that her date had posted something on Penstagram. So much for her reception being bad.

With a newfound hesitancy, she clicked on the post to view it. Her heart dropped at the sight of her date with someone else at the party that was being held at Glandus High, their opposing school. She held the stranger tight in the photo, clearly posing for a selfie. She felt her limbs grow numb as her gaze dropped down to skim over the caption, unable to swallow or hear any of the surrounding noises as she processed the words.

There wasn’t even the slightest mention of her name, but she knew that it was directed towards her.

“Ditched a would’ve-been mistake, loving this party! Shoutout to Glandus for giving me the best replacement for both a lame party and date!”

She hadn’t even realized she had finally looked up from her scroll. One moment, she was reading the caption in shock, and the next, she was met with several gazes from the other students in the room, all of which were a mix of pity, confusion, and sorrow. Skara and Amelia motioned for her to come over, likely to try and sympathize with her and comfort her.

She’d have none of that.

The night had been ruined long ago, she just wasn’t made aware of it until then.

Her date didn’t think she deserved to be spared the humiliation, and decided to publicize it on top of everything? She hadn’t let the girl know about her worst fear, and yet she somehow managed to make it known to everyone anyway.

How predictable.

How pathetic.

Through blurred vision, in which she cursed herself for starting to cry, she shook her head and began to walk backwards. It soon turned into a sprint once she turned, then she was quickly running. How could she have been so stupid? She should’ve noticed the signs immediately, and yet she decided to turn a blind eye and only embarrass herself further by going all out. She ignored the concerned calls from her friends and desperately rushed to the furthest bathroom from there that she could find.

Once she stumbled across one, she wobbled inside and stood in front of one of the mirrors to the sinks. Her hand shook violently as it twisted the knob, and only shook harder as she dunked it under the running water before letting it resurface to splash the water in her face. She repeated this motion with both hands, all while letting out several curses under her breath.

She lost count of how many times she splashed herself, going on and on until she could no longer tell the difference from the tears that streaked her face and the sink water that soaked her skin. Her hearing had returned, though everything sounded muffled. She had been rejected here and there in the past, but she had never been publicly made fun of and humiliated in the process. It was heartbreaking. That was the only way she could possibly describe it at that moment.

Eventually, she pried herself away from the sink, barely mustering the courage to turn it off before wandering to the roll of paper towels and using a few to pathetically pat her face dry. She shivered, barely realizing then that she had soaked part of her blazer. She glanced down to find that a large amount of the water had trickled down her jaw and neck and soaked through the collar of her shirt as well.

Reluctantly, she tore the blazer from her torso, tossing it on top of the lid of the trashcan. With the same paper towels she had already partially soaked, she lazily tried to dry her shirt as well. After one failed attempt of wringing the collar dry, she sniffled and gave up, tossing the crumpled up sheets aside. She shakily left the room and subconsciously found herself roaming the halls. She couldn’t go home just yet, she knew, or her moms would ask what had happened. She didn’t have the energy to explain it all.

And she couldn’t return to the party. She just couldn’t. She didn’t want to deal with giving any fake responses when people offered their sympathy, nor did she want to hear anyone else mentioning what had happened while watching them side-eye her from a distance.

Again, she found herself scolding her mind for sobbing, though when she let her fingers graze her face to wipe the tears, she studied them with confusion upon seeing they were dry. She strained her ears, forcing them to hear past the dull ringing. Somewhere nearby, she could hear someone weeping. Although she knew she didn’t have the energy to talk to whoever it was, her curiosity got the better of her. Maybe knowing she wasn’t the only one having a horrible night was what gave her a small burst of energy–enough to find the source anyway.

She narrowed down the possibilities of which hall they could possibly be, grumbling at how the empty halls amplified the noise and had the echoes reverberating throughout the walls. Finally, after pin-pointing where the sound was coming from, she neared the corner to the intersecting hallway ahead of her and slowed her steps before ultimately stopping to listen.

Around the corner, a strangely familiar voice choked out pained sobs and murmurs, unaware they were no longer talking to themself. She peeked out cautiously and found [Y/N] [L/N], a girl she knew of but didn’t know personally, curled into herself against the wall, her body trembling with every heave and wail.

“What the hell did I do?” She asked herself repeatedly in between sharp gasps for air, her phone tossed to the side and long forgotten. Boscha glanced down and found the small device near her feet, face-down on the chilled, marble floor. As silently as she could, she picked it up and studied the screen, which was somehow still on. Her eyebrows lifted in shock, surprised to discover this girl was in the exact same situation as she was.

She sighed inaudibly. With one hand still holding onto the phone and the other tucked into the pocket of her slacks, she walked forward, clearing her throat to push past the voice cracks she knew she’d produce if she tried to talk. Startled, [Y/N] jumped and reeled back. She wiped furiously at her eyes and peered up at Boscha, who held the phone up a bit further. “Rough night?”

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know anyone was over here.”

“No, you’re fine.”

They stayed there in silence, unsure of what to say. With a small grimace, Boscha moved forward and sat a couple of feet from [Y/N], leaning against the wall and handing over her phone. “Thank you,” was her soft reply. She only nodded before turning her head to stare blankly at the lockers across from them.

She wondered if there was any possible way to salvage the night. Even if she returned to the party, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. There was no one to dance with, and she’d constantly be stared at the entire time. Maybe she should’ve just stayed in the bathroom and locked herself away. Or even gone home after all and snuck back into her bedroom. She just didn’t want to face the world anytime soon.

“So…you’re Boscha, right?” A gentle voice questioned beside her. She turned her attention to [Y/N] again and nodded. “Yeah. And you’re [Y/N], right? The human?” “Yeah, that’s me. Why aren’t you at the party?” Boscha scoffed and scratched the back of her neck anxiously. “My date ditched me, that’s why. Decided I was a mistake, and that I deserved to feel ridiculous by not telling me ahead of time that she wasn’t interested.”

“Oh…”

She hummed, then turned back to her again. “What about you?” “Same here.”

She wished she could’ve been surprised, but after seeing what had been left on the screen just a moment ago, she couldn’t even muster a proper reaction. “Guess we’re in the same boat then, huh?” She muttered with a fake chuckle after waiting for a beat. “I guess so.”

Silence settled upon the two of them again, though it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before. Boscha wracked her brain for something to say to lighten the mood, grasping desperately at anything that could make the night better. If she knew the situation better, coming up with a solution would be far easier. She thought of what Willow or one of the others would do in her place, wincing at herself for becoming so soft in the past few months.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

The two had sat there for a little under an hour, just talking about what had happened at first, but eventually started chatting about more positive things. It was relieving when the two of them shared a laugh for the first time that evening. Their situations were pretty much the same, although [Y/N] was able to escape the auditorium without much notice. Her date had bailed on her and made it public pretty early on in the evening, meaning there were very few students around when she saw the post.

All the while as they talked about whatever came to mind, Boscha couldn’t help but find herself urging to ask [Y/N] to come back to the auditorium with her and prove both of their dates wrong–to show them that they were better off without them. She wasn’t sure how to ask in a smooth manner, so ultimately, she built up the courage to ask it as bluntly as possible.

While [Y/N] searched on her phone for something that related to a story she was talking about, Boscha scooted a bit closer. “So, what would you think about just heading back and going as each other’s dates instead?” Shocked by the sudden question, [Y/N] glanced over at her and tilted her head. “Huh? What do you mean?” Boscha shrugged, unable to bite back her smirk. “Well, I mean…we shouldn’t let the night go to waste. We can still salvage it. Plus, we’d get to prove to everyone that we don’t need people who’ll ditch us.”

She gently nudged her shoulder with her own. “We can show them that we’re better than that, y’know?” [Y/N] stared at her for a moment before laughing anxiously. “I don’t know, Boscha. I’m not sure I could go face everyone in there again. Aren’t you afraid of how they’d look at us? At you?”

“Of course I am. Ever since I made it to high school here at Hexside, I’ve had to work hard to make sure people look at me with respect. Didn’t matter if they hated me or not, I had to pretend not to care. I was the “star,” the Team Captain of the Grudgby Team. I’m always terrified of how they look at me, if I’m being honest. But…you kinda learn to ignore it after a while and just do your own thing. Shouldn’t we be allowed to enjoy our night, even if we get weird looks for it?”

For the first time that evening, [Y/N] felt confident. Not drastically more confident than before, but Boscha’s words got the gears in her head working again after being rusted with stress and tears. She had been so distraught by the whole incident that she hadn’t been able to think logically about how she still deserved a good night.

Maybe dancing with Boscha that night would make up for it.

She glanced down for a moment in thought. At length, she looked up again and smiled with excitement. “Yeah, you know what? Let’s do it!”

At that, Boscha laughed and pumped her arm triumphantly the way she did when she won a Grudgby match. She stood and offered her hand for [Y/N] to take, hoisting her up to stand in front of her when she did. [Y/N] pocketed her phone, giggling as Boscha tugged her forward towards the auditorium with a newfound pep in her step. The two laughed the entire journey there, Boscha’s hand never leaving [Y/N]’s.

Before they made it, they stopped and glanced at each other to suck in a quick breath, steeling their nerves and grinning as they walked inside. Boscha was quick to bring her over to her friend group, introducing her to the others and explaining what had happened–first asking [Y/N] and confirming that it was okay to talk about the situation. They seemed confused, but ultimately were glad that the two of them had found a way to improve what they went through.

They smiled and waved at them as they headed to the dance floor, Boscha hugging [Y/N] tightly against her as they swayed to the beat of the song. As they circled the others, occasionally having to apologize as they bumped into a couple here or there, they kept their eyes trained on one another, warmth growing in their chests as they studied the smallest features.

Boscha watched in awe as [Y/N]’s eyes squinted shut tight enough for the bridge of her nose to crinkle slightly with every wide smile and laugh. She could swear that she’d catch [Y/N]’s [h/c] eyes flickering down to her lips when she’d crack another joke.

[Y/N] noticed with pure glee that not once did Boscha’s eyes leave her own. Her third eye seemed to focus on her the most, seemingly showing what the witch was truly thinking in that moment as its pupil overtook the majority of the iris.

By the time Grom royalty headed to the arena, once everyone parted to sit in the bleachers of course, Boscha and [Y/N] were in tears. They were glad, however, that they were from the constant laughter they shared rather than from the initial heartbreak they experienced merely two hours ago. They waited until everyone was settled and focused on the fight before sneaking out and jogging out the front doors, laughing all the while.

Finally, the two of them made it outside, a good distance away from the building. They fell to the floor in yet another fit of giggles, struggling to gasp for breath as they added on to the previous jokes. [Y/N] playfully reached over far enough to smack Boscha on the shoulder, snorting in the process and laughing even harder at the sound. “Boscha, stop it! I can’t breathe!”

They continued like that for a while until the jokes settled down. They snickered occasionally, but sighed once they were able to calm all the way down. As [Y/N] let her hands move up to swipe the stray tears from her face, Boscha couldn’t help but stare with a smile that could only be described as smitten or lovestruck. How had she never met this girl before tonight? She was so carefree and warm. They had only spent the past few hours together, but in that time, in between all of the playful banter and dancing, they had learned so much about each other. It felt like they had known each other for so long.

Like they were old, close friends.

Although the mere thought of her ex-date was painful, she was a thing of the past at that moment. She was able to keep her mind clear with [Y/N], and she wondered if it was because they knew what the other had been through, or if it was because they had actually managed to grow pretty close in such a short amount of time. Either way, she was grateful that they had met. Maybe she was being too bold, but she felt like this wasn’t just going to be something that lasted for one night.

As cheesy as it sounded, she had never felt that way before. Usually, she only spent time with people if she pitied them or wanted to leech off of their status. With [Y/N], however, she wanted to spend time with her because it felt right–it felt natural. It wasn’t a forced formality like what she had had with Amity. It was genuine. There didn’t seem to be any kind of ill-intent or fake gentleness that she sensed with others.

She couldn’t recall the last time she was able to laugh like they had together, or even when she was able to talk so casually about things she could remember from her past–the memories that brought joy and didn’t have to make her look good, anyway.

It was an amazing, freeing feeling that she never wanted to let go of. She told herself, no matter what anyone else thought, she’d make sure this continues. Just looking into [Y/N]’s eyes as they talked told her that she didn’t want this to end either.

“You know, as weird as it sounds, I’m actually kinda glad we were ditched tonight,” [Y/N] admitted softly. Almost immediately after, she covered her face and laughed anxiously. “Oh god, that really did sound horrible. That’s not what I meant by that at all.” Boscha chortled and shook her head, letting the back of her knuckle tap [Y/N]’s arm. “No, it didn’t sound bad at all. I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I mean, if that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have met, and…well, even if our dates had both shown up, I don’t think we would’ve enjoyed the night.

“Not to assume anything, but it seems like my date tonight wasn’t the only asshole in this situation. Whoever ditched you didn’t realize what they were losing.” [Y/N] rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her arm to gaze down at Boscha, a confused grin toying at her lips. “What are you talking about? I’m not much of a loss.” Boscha rolled over as well, though she stayed solid against the ground, peering up at [Y/N] from below. “You are so. You’re amazing. They don’t know what they’re missing.”

Again, a soft, confused chuckle sounded from [Y/N]. “C’mon, Boscha. You don’t know that. I mean, we just met, for god’s sake.” At that, the three-eyed witch finally sat up to make direct eye contact with her. “Well, yeah, maybe. But I can already tell how incredible of a person you are. Not once during this entire night have you judged me for anything. You’ve made it clear that you’re attentive and aren’t selfish. I just…I hope I don’t come across as selfish to you. It would honestly surprise me more if you didn’t think of me that way, actually. I’m not exactly the most compassionate witch.”

[Y/N] scoffed and scooted over to gently bump her shoulder against the other girl’s. “What? Are you crazy? Of course you’re compassionate.” “Huh?” “Boscha, all you’ve done since we’ve met is make sure I’m happy. You’ve cracked jokes nonstop to make me laugh. I probably would’ve still been in that hallway crying right now if you hadn’t checked on me to make sure I was alright. And you didn’t just ask if I was okay and then move along when I said I wasn’t. You sat with me and helped me talk things through until I really was.

“And then you convinced me to save the night by going back into the auditorium and enjoying the dance, even after all that had happened. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun since…well, ever, actually. You made tonight worth it. I loved being able to meet you and spend time with you.”

Boscha could only gawk at her in awe. No one had ever thought that way of her–not in a genuine way that they would actually admit aloud. It brought forth a new feeling that she had no idea how to process. As far back as she could remember, people would stare at her with pure fear or disgust. But now, as she looked up and gazed into [Y/N]’s eyes, all she could see was admiration. And from what had just been said, it seemed that admiration stemmed from affection rather than terror.

She couldn’t think of anything to say for a long while, and she could see [Y/N] growing unsure of herself.

“I loved spending time with you too,” she finally whispered at length. After a moment or so, she steeled her nerves and gently took [Y/N]’s free hand into her own. She glanced down and watched as she let the pad of her thumb gently caress the back of her knuckles. “And I really hope I get to spend more time with you in the future.” She tried her best to glance back up to gauge her reaction, but her eyes averted that direction each time and settled back down at their connected hands.

The soft blades of grass that were once comforting merely minutes ago now made her exposed skin burn and itch uncomfortably as she shifted around, unable to sit still and maintain her composure.

“I’d love that,” was her response after a while. Finally, she managed to glance back up, her breath shuttering as she studied the breathtaking smile that graced [Y/N]’s lips. Her face brightened at the answer, turning a soft shade of red. “Really?”

“Yes.”

She knew then, at that very moment, that everything that had happened was for a reason. She never thought she’d be thankful for the fact that someone had ditched her, but she knew she never would’ve met [Y/N] otherwise. Likewise, she never thought she’d think of anything other than showing off to others about what she had achieved. She figured she would’ve wanted to take the best possible photo with the other girl to post online–a silent jab at her ex-date from that night. She thought she would’ve used PDA as a way to “claim what’s hers,” but none of that ever happened.

It was a few weeks after the two started dating–at a much later date, of course–that she finally posted something relating to her relationship. There were no undertones of bitterness towards her ex, nor were there any mentions of being controlling or overprotective of her girlfriend. Instead, she showed off her favorite videos and photos she had taken during their first few dates with pride, simply feeling honored to be able to show off the girl she loved most of all.

She didn’t want the world to think that [Y/N] was hers.

She wanted to show that she felt lucky to have her.

She wanted to make [Y/N] feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

To give her everything she deserved.

To help her see that just by being herself, she was worth everything.