Hug Me

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.

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.”

Overprotective

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

Word Count: 2.6k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Physical fighting, blood, violence, derogatory terms, strong language

[A/N]: I plan on doing three stories in a row for each character I write for, and then when I finish writing for all the ones I have planned, I’ll likely start over with the same characters. Also, if you have any requests, feel free to let me know! Please let me know if it’s a preference, imagine, or one-shot. I also plan on making a masterlist and pinning it so you can find things easily that way.

Enjoy!

“Alright. Have a good weekend, Annie. I’ll see you on Monday.” Annie gave a small smile and waved, slugging her bag over her shoulder as she headed out the classroom door. She pulled her phone out from her hoodie pocket once she was halfway down the hall and clicked [Y/N]’s contact. She sent a quick text to let her know that she was on her way. [Y/N] responded quickly, then Annie stuffed her phone back in her pocket. She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. This week had been hell on her–physically and mentally. Finals for the end of the first semester were coming up, and even though she usually never studied for anything, [Y/N] had been urging her to so she did well. After some convincing (promises of donuts if she did well on the exams), Annie agreed and started staying after school and staying up late to study.

It’s not that she hated the idea of studying–she actually enjoyed the thought of improving grades with just a little extra effort. She just never had the time or energy. Her father always had her train each night, save for Fridays, which always left her utterly exhausted. Her headaches grew worse each day, both due to the lack of sleep and the constant studying for classes she struggled in, but she wanted to do well. Sure, the donuts would be a nice reward for her hard work, but in reality, she wanted to make [Y/N] proud–she wanted her to see that she could do well with the right amount of encouragement. [Y/N]’s view of her was much more important to her than her father’s. She loved this girl. She wanted to make her happy and help her get through every hard day.

She’d stay up late in her room studying for algebra and chemistry exams, and any time she felt the urge to fall asleep or get on her phone to distract herself from all the equations, she’d think of how [Y/N] would smile if she even passed these tests. She’d think of the warm, comforting hug that she was so addicted to. She just wanted [Y/N] to be proud of her.

[Y/N] was perfect in her eyes. She was her muse–her reason to keep going. She was–

“--A prude.”

Annie halted her movements and listened to the conversation taking place just around the corner. “C’mon, Andrew. [Y/N]’s not a prude.” Annie’s heart dropped at the mention of [Y/N]’s name. She stepped silently against the lockers to get closer to the two boys talking. “Yes, she is! Damn bitch is too worried about her grades. She should’ve let me help her feel good at that party. She wouldn’t have been able to walk for weeks.” “Yeah, and if you keep talking like that and Annie finds out, you won’t be able to walk for weeks either. It’ll just hurt way worse.” “Pfft, whatever. I could kick her ass with ease.” “You know damn well she’d flip you within a second. You’re not impressing anyone with your big talk.” “Either way, [Y/N] shouldn’t have turned me down.”

“Well, looking at you, I can see why she did,” Annie retorted as she stepped into view. Both boys froze and turned towards her. “A-Annie! Oh god, how much of what Andrew said did you hear?” She didn’t reply, but they could tell by the cold, darkened look on her face that she had heard pretty much everything. The boy who had been defending Andrew readjusted his bag on his shoulders and started walking the other way. Andrew tensed. “What do you–Hey! Marco, where the hell do you think you’re going?” “I’m gonna get out of the way. You have fun getting both of your legs broken.” Andrew scoffed and looked over at the blonde with his arms crossed.

“So, you’re gonna try to break my legs, huh?” Annie shrugged, her expression now eerily calm. “I was just gonna beat the shit out of your hideous face, but breaking your legs sounds more fun.” “Excuse me?” “Oh, don’t worry, I’m still gonna break your face. After you look in the mirror, you should finally see why my girlfriend won’t sleep with you. Or any girl, for that matter.” Andrew scoffed again and dropped his bag, getting himself into a very poor stance. Annie rolled her eyes and shrugged her bag off and onto the floor, not caring that her laptop was still inside, then rolling up her sleeves and getting into a much more refined stance than her opponent.

They stood there for a while, neither one wanting to make the first move. Andrew smirked after a moment. “What’s the matter, blondie? Too scared to throw the first punch? Afraid I’ll knock out your teeth?” Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, just thinking of the best way to kick your chest through your back. Shouldn’t hurt too bad. Doesn’t seem like you have a heart for me to hit.” Andrew laughed. “You don’t need to project your own insecurities on me. I don’t understand why your girl won’t leave you for someone better. Guess she’s even dumber than I thought.” That sent Annie over the edge. She snapped, quickly stepping forward and thrusting her leg forward against Andrew’s calf. He stumbled back a bit but didn’t fall. Annie huffed.

Damn it, you need to calm down. Every time you get worked up like this, your movements get clumsy.

She got back into her stance, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her increasing rage. “I thought you were supposed to be good at fighting, Leonhart. Doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to protect that bitch you call your girlfriend.” Annie felt her teeth grinding against themselves as she clenched her jaw. Her gaze quickly flickered down to Andrew’s knees, knowing she needed to kick the back of them to get him down. She tried again to step forward and kick, but he caught her leg this time. Her eyes widened as he threw her leg up and tossed her down onto her back. She grunted as she came into contact with the ground, her mind screaming at her to get up and get him back. Andrew reacted before her though, standing over her and crouching down. He grabbed the collar of her hoodie and pulled her upwards as his fist came down fast. He struck her repeatedly before standing and kicking her hard in the stomach.

Annie groaned in pain, her nose, lips, and a part of her right cheek bleeding. Her skin had already started to bruise. Andrew stood there for a moment, watching her before walking over and grabbing his backpack. He slipped it on his shoulders and began walking away. “I told Marco I could kick your ass. Maybe when [Y/N] sees what I did to you, she’ll finally realize I’m the one she should be with.” Annie coughed, straining her entire body as she propped herself up on her arms. “She won’t date you, you bastard. You’re a horrible person.” Andrew stopped and turned to her, a cocky smirk painting his lips. “Well, unlike you, at least I can actually protect her.”

Adrenaline pumped its way through Annie’s veins, finally allowing her to get back on her feet. Andrew had already started walking away again, so he didn’t realize Annie was running towards him in time. Just as he turned around at the sound of her rapid footsteps, her fist had already come into contact with his head, sending him spiraling to the ground with a thud. He groaned and caressed the spot she had struck. “Ugh, you bitch!” He got into a stance once he managed to stand again, but Annie had already lunged forward. She swept her leg to the side as it made contact with the side of his leg, allowing her to hook her foot around and catch the back of his knee. She kicked with all of her strength, breaking his leg with an inhuman force as he cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

As he curled into himself on the ground, Annie rolled him onto his back. He opened his eyes and looked up at her weakly. “Take back what you said about [Y/N],” the blonde huffed out, her shoulders slumped. “As if. She’s a prude no matter how you spin in. And you’re disgusting for stealing her from someone who’s way better than you.” Annie growled and lifted her leg high in the air before bringing her foot down directly onto Andrew’s nose at full force. He cried out in agony. Before his hands could fly up to shield his face, Annie stomped on his face again, and again, and again. Finally, she stepped back with a pant, her nails almost digging into her palms hard enough to make them bleed.

She wanted so badly to say something–to threaten him to leave [Y/N] alone, but exhaustion had overwhelmed her body. She weakly grabbed her bag and shrugged it onto her shoulder. She stumbled down the hallway, limping as she made it a few feet from the exit. She panted for breath, leaned against one of the lockers as she rolled one of her sleeves back down and used it to wipe away the blood from her nose and mouth. She pulled her arm back to look at the stain, wincing at how much of it there was.

She carried on, her muscles growing weaker and feeling heavier as she made her way to [Y/N]’s house. Thankfully, she had already made plans with the girl to stay with her for the weekend, meaning she wouldn’t have to hear her father lecture her on her fighting abilities until Monday. The walk to her house felt like it was stretching out forever. By the time she finally made it to [Y/N]’s doorstep, Annie was on the verge of collapsing. She knocked on the door weakly. She waited a while, not sure if she had knocked hard enough for [Y/N] to hear, but just as she reached for the doorbell, the door swung open.

“Annie, holy shit! What happened to you?” Before Annie could respond, [Y/N] yanked her inside and took her bag. She dropped it to the floor and turned to close and lock the door. After the second lock had been turned, she spun on her heel and stared at the blonde who couldn’t meet her gaze. “You wanna tell me what happened this time?” Annie started to sway unsteadily, her face growing pale. [Y/N], upon seeing this, stepped forward quickly and grabbed her arm, leading her to the couch and letting her sit down. “Woah, hey, hey…just rest for a minute, okay? I’ll go get the med-kit from the medicine cabinet.” Annie could only nod as the [h/c] girl rushed to the hallway by her parents’ room. She returned a short moment later with a small white box.

“Is it just your face that got hit?” Annie didn’t speak, her hand trailing over to rest on the part of her stomach that had been kicked. [Y/N] sighed as she sat down beside her and took out some ointment and bandages. She cleaned off the partially dried blood smudged against the blonde’s skin before applying some ointment to a cotton pad and dabbing the small cut on the side of Annie’s cheek. The blonde hissed and turned away. “I know, hun, I know, but if I don’t clean it, it’s gonna have a higher chance of getting infected. Do you really want that to happen?” Annie stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head and turning her head back. [Y/N] smiled at her, though she couldn’t meet her eye, and finished treating the small wound.

She grabbed a bandage and gently placed it to cover the treated area. She smoothed it down with the pad of her index finger, then took a different kind of ointment out. “This will help your bruises heal a little quicker. And if it doesn’t, it’ll at least ease some of the pain.” Annie nodded. [Y/N] unscrewed the cap and scooped up a bit of the gel with two of her fingers before bringing it up to the blonde’s face. She gently applied it to the already bruised patches of skin, massaging it in until it was nearly dry to the touch. “Alright, now do you want to rub some of this on the spot on your stomach, or do you want me to?” “You…” “Okay. Lift your hoodie and shirt a bit so I can see it.”

Annie did as told and lifted her clothes up just far enough to reveal the nasty bruise forming on her abdomen. “Jesus, Annie. What the hell did you do? I’ve never seen you get beat up this badly before. Usually, you don’t even have a scratch.” “I know, I just…I lost my temper.” [Y/N] hummed and scooped up another small amount of the ointment before bringing it down to apply it to her stomach. Annie shivered at how cold it was. “You seem to be losing your temper a lot recently. What’s going on with you?” The blonde shrugged and looked away, guilt rising up in her chest. [Y/N] had asked her multiple times not to get into any more fights, and each time Annie said she wouldn’t, but the second she heard anyone making fun of the [h/c] girl, she went into a blind rage.

“I’m guessing that, based on your silence, it was about the same thing as usual?” Annie nodded. [Y/N] sighed, letting the ointment dry before pulling the articles of clothing back down to cover it. “Annie, you know I don’t like it when you fight for me like that.”

“Well, I’m not just going to let them talk badly about you like that, [Y/N]! It pisses me off so much that people can’t see what a great person you are, and then decide to assume things about you!” [Y/N] froze, the two of them staring at each other. Neither one of them had expected that outburst. Usually, Annie was the one listening to [Y/N] scold her or rant to her. It was a rare occasion to hear the blonde get so worked up over something, even though they’ve known each other for years. Annie sighed after a moment, looking down at her hands that were resting in her lap. “I’m…I’m sorry. I just want to protect you.” [Y/N] smiled softly, sighing as she shook her head. “It’s okay, Annie. I’m really grateful you do everything you can to protect me. I just wish you wouldn’t get physical about it all the time. I hate seeing you so exhausted and hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

They sat in silence, not really sure what to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable though. They both often enjoyed just being able to sit quietly together, simply enjoying the other’s presence. [Y/N] broke the silence this time though. “Did you win though? You kicked his ass for me, right?”

Annie chuckled, a smile finally making its way across her lips. “Yeah, I did.” [Y/N] grinned and put everything back in the med-kit before placing it on the coffee table. “Good.” The quietness returned to the room. At length, [Y/N] gently nudged Annie’s arm with her elbow, prompting the blonde to look over at her finally. “Hey, I’m proud of you. You know that, right?” The blonde’s heart fluttered. A deep, crimson blush dusted her cheeks as she smiled uncontrollably. She nodded. “Yeah.” The [h/c] girl snickered at her expression and leaned forward, softly pulling Annie into one of those warm hugs she enjoyed so much. Annie stiffened momentarily before melting into her embrace and hugging her back tightly–even though it hurt like hell to force her muscles to move that way.

“I love you, Annie. Even if I scold you a lot for getting into fights. I truly do love you.” Annie smiled even wider and nuzzled into the crook of [Y/N]’s neck. “I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a long while before finally leaning back to look each other in the eye. [Y/N] gently rubbed the blonde’s arms. “Can you please promise me that you won’t get into any more fights for my sake?” Annie smiled. “I don’t think I can promise that entirely. I’ll try not to pick fights when people talk shit, but I want you to know I won’t hesitate to sock someone in the jaw if they lay a hand on you.” [Y/N] giggled, and oh, how Annie adored that sound. “Alright, fine. But just know that if you show up on my doorstep like this again, I’m not gonna baby you and treat your wounds. You’ll have to do that yourself.” The blonde rolled her eyes, though her smile never faltered.

“Fair enough, I guess.”

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.

Requited Love

[Resident Evil: Village] Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Spoilers for the game, angst, mentions of past trauma, death, anxiety.

[A/N]: This was a prompt swap with one of my friends, and I've written one more from this challenge with her for Samantha Giddings, though I don't plan to post it anytime soon. I have a masterlist in my drafts that lists all of the characters I want to write for, but I'd like to post three stories for each of those characters before I upload the masterlist--that way I can figure out which ones I will actually write for, and which ones I won't.

Enjoy!

 “C’mon, Aunt Donna! I’m telling you: if you take her out on a date like that, she’ll have to say yes!” Daniela chirped excitedly from her seat against the armrest of the sofa. Bela elbowed her gently in the arm, scoffing and shaking her head. “Dani, [Y/N] shouldn’t feel pressured to say she feels the same way. She should have every reason to feel comfortable enough to say no if she’s not interested.” She turned to Donna, who had been fidgeting with her fingers. “Of course,” the blonde said in a much softer tone, “I don’t have any doubts that she won’t reciprocate your feelings. I’ve seen just how thrilled and lively she gets whenever your name is even mentioned.” The doll-maker’s head perked up at this, her shoulders tensed as she stared with pure hope behind her veil at the eldest daughter.

Angie jumped up onto the sofa and bounced on top of Bela’s lap. “Really?” She squealed. Bela smirked knowingly at her as she side-glanced at Donna. “Yes, of course.” Daniela leaned forward. “Yeah! She really does love you, Auntie! We’ve all seen it–even Cassandra! Right, Cass?” She turned to her older sister, who was seated at the far end of the couch with her arms crossed, seemingly disinterested. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It’s sickening to see how oblivious the two of you are around each other,” she retorted. Bela sent her a threatening glare. “Cass, watch it. It’s not their fault they’re too nervous to confess. Rejection is a painful thing to experience.”

The brunette turned to her. “Yeah, I know, but they aren’t going to reject each other. We all know that.” “They don’t know that. Well, Donna knows now, but [Y/N] doesn’t.” She turned to her aunt with a comforting smile. “I can assure you that the love you have for [Y/N] is requited.” Donna smiled softly under her veil, looking to her lap as the three daughters turned to Angie. “Don’t worry,” the small doll spoke while waving her hand dismissively. “I’ll make sure Donna doesn’t chicken out.” Donna turned to her. “Angie,” she scolded as Daniela and Bela chuckled–Cassandra even snickered a bit to herself from the opposite end of the group

The doll-maker sighed and tugged Angie over to sit in her lap. “What if I mess something up?” She voiced softly after a moment. Daniela stood from the armrest and moved to sit next to Donna, squishing herself in between her aunt and Cassandra. “Hey, watch it!” The redhead ignored her and gently grasped one of Donna’s hands. “You won’t ruin anything,” she reassured in an uncharacteristic tone. “Bela and I can even help you set everything up so you can focus on making the food!” The veiled woman looked to Bela, who smiled back at her. “You two would be willing to do that for me?” The blonde nodded. “Of course. Since it’s warm enough outside, we should be able to stay out without much layering.”

Cassandra cleared her throat, prompting everyone to glance over at her. She stared at them expectantly. When she got no answer, she growled and planted her hand flat against her chest. “Am I just supposed to stay here on my own? Do you three really not trust me enough to contribute somehow?” Bela and Daniela looked at each other with confusion. “We thought this kind of stuff annoyed you,” the blonde responded. “It does, but I don’t like being left out of things. I hate it almost as much as I hate all of this cheesy romance shit.” Bela rolled her eyes and Daniela giggled. “I’m not really sure what you could help with. Dani and I can take care of the table and decor pretty quickly on our own.”

Cassandra growled again, but before she could speak and bicker with her sister, Donna turned to her. “Actually, Cassandra, if you’d really like to help, it might be nice for the main part of the meal to be hunted and homemade instead of being bought from the Duke. It would add a more meaningful aspect to it.” Cassandra’s eyes lit up as she smirked. “Say no more. Name the day, and I’ll be there with whatever you need.” She shifted into a swarm of flies and flew up the stairs, leaving her sisters there to finish planning with Donna.

T////////S

[Y/N] giggled as Donna led her over behind the house to the edge of the waterfall. “Donna, where are we going?” The doll-maker had covered the girl’s eyes with her hands so she’d hopefully be surprised by the setup. “Somewhere special, but not far from home. I…” She hesitated, her hands trembling against [Y/N]’s face. The [h/c] girl raised her own hands to cover Donna’s, gently caressing them with the pads of her thumbs. “Hun, just relax. I’m sure I’ll love wherever you take me.” Donna smiled warmly down at her. Her tensed hands slowly relaxed as they continued walking forward, but quickly grew rigid again as they grew closer to her desired spot.

Finally, after a long while of stumbling and trying not to trip each other, the two women came to a stop. [Y/N]’s eyes were still covered, but she was able to hear the rushing water of the nearby cliff flowing down rapidly somewhere far below them. Donna sucked in a deep breath. “I-I really hope you’ll like it,” she whispered, internally slapping herself for stuttering. Even after failing to steel her nerves, Donna managed to remove her hands and drop them down to her sides, where they only remained temporarily before finding each other in front of her torso to pick at one another. [Y/N]’s eyes slowly fluttered open. They quickly widened shortly after as a small gasp slipped past her lips. “Oh, Donna, it’s beautiful!”

Donna sighed in relief, glancing over to take in the view herself. There, a good distance away from the edge of the cliff, stood a suitably sized table with two seats placed opposite of one another. A pastel tablecloth draped itself atop the wooden surface of the table, the edges rippling with the soft breeze. Resting on top of the cloth was a small vase filled with dicentras as the centerpiece, two plates of lasagne, and a small tray of antipasto. Two wine glasses full of Barbaresco positioned themselves beside the plates, the rims of the glass shimmering underneath the moonlight. Even from where she stood, [Y/N] recognized the craftsmanship of the wood used for the table and chairs–Donna had made them quite a while ago, but she never knew why until then.

Donna stepped forward and softly placed her hand on [Y/N]’s shoulder. She squeezed it to gain her attention, prompting the girl to look up at her. “Do you really think it’s beautiful?” [Y/N] beamed brightly at her, turning to her and grabbing her hands. Donna blushed. “Of course I do,” she responded cheerfully. The ravenette sighed softly in relief. “I’m glad.” They stared at each other for a moment, not entirely sure what to say next. Finally, Angie came bounding from the opposite side of the house. “Sit down and eat before the food gets cold,” she yelled while tugging at [Y/N]’s pant leg. “Donna and the mean sister from the Tall Lady’s family spent a lot of time on it! I’ll bite your ankles if you don’t go sit down.” [Y/N] chuckled. “Okay, okay, fine.”

She and Donna walked over. Before [Y/N] had an opportunity to pull her chair out to sit down, Donna rushed over and did it for her. She thanked her with a sheepish grin and watched as the doll-maker forcefully sauntered over to her own seat. Once they were both seated, they picked up their utensils and hesitantly began to eat. [Y/N] hummed once the flavor hit her tongue. She covered her mouth as she spoke. “Oh, wow, this tastes incredible, Donna! And Angie said Cassandra helped with this?” Donna nodded and blushed. “Yes. She helped hunt for the meat in the dish, and Bela and Daniela helped me set the table, chairs, and decor up. They’re, um…they’re actually the ones who encouraged me to do this tonight.” [Y/N] smiled. “They’re all so sweet, even if they don’t like to show it.” Donna nodded in agreement.

She took a shaky breath, unsure of how to even bring up her confession. Her hand trembled as she continued to take small bites. She went to reach for her glass, but decided against it when she noticed just how badly her hand was shaking. She didn’t want to spill the wine on herself and end up embarrassing herself while ruining the moment. ‘How am I supposed to ask her? There has to be a way to bring it up in a smooth manner.’ Panicked, her mind went back to a few weeks prior when she had been discussing the plan with the Dimitrescu sisters.

F////////B

“How do I even go about asking something like that? I don’t want it to be sudden and make it even more awkward than it already will be,” Donna anxiously said aloud, surprisingly not using Angie as her voice. The three sisters all turned to her, each one carrying their own expression: Bela seemed distressed, Cassandra appeared annoyed, and Daniela looked as though she was about to burst with the ideas she had been keeping private about the date. “I don’t want to screw this up–I’m already enough of a screw-up as it is.” The sisters’ expressions all shifted into one of uniformed concern. They sat next to Donna on the bed, Bela and Daniela taking either one of her hands. “Hey, what are you talking about? You’re not a screw-up,” the redhead assured softly. Donna lowered her head in an attempt to hide the tears pricking her one good eye, even though her veil was still covering her face.

“I am. I always have been. I don’t know what [Y/N] even sees in me.” Bela tilted her head as the pad of her thumb brushed over the back of the doll-maker’s hand in a soothing manner. “What makes you think of yourself that way?” Donna sniffled and slipped both hands out of the girls’ grasp, allowing her to bring them up under her veil to wipe her tears and hide her face even further. “I’ve always been able to tell how people think of me,” she started softly. “My parents always favored both of my sisters, and once they passed, they didn’t seem to care enough about me to stay. I remember crying to myself each night–telling myself that, if I had been good enough, maybe they would’ve stayed. Maybe they would’ve loved me more.”

“Oh, Donna, you–” “And then I met Mother Miranda. I thought I could be a perfect daughter, even if I wasn’t fit to be a vessel for Eva. When she told me I was part of the family, even though I wasn’t a perfect fit, it didn’t upset me because I was happy to finally have people I could rely on. But then I read her entries about the experiments she performed on me.” She wiped her face again, her fingernails digging lightly into her scalp. “She…she said I was almost a perfect fit, but she was disappointed to learn that I’m “mentally underdeveloped.””

The three women beside her remained silent, unsure of what to say to comfort her. They listened with disheartened gazes as their aunt began to weep. She curled her legs up onto the bed and clutched them to her chest, allowing her to bury her head in between her knees. “I don’t want [Y/N] to see me as a disappointment,” she finally rasped at length. “She means way too much to me–I can’t lose her like I’ve lost everyone else.” Bela pulled her to lean against her shoulder. “Hey, I may not be able to say anything about what Mother Miranda said about you because that’s out of my control, but I can assure you with all of my heart that [Y/N] loves you. She would do anything for you, yes, but that also means she wouldn’t lie to you about how she feels. If she thought of you in a low manner, you would’ve been able to tell. Has she done anything to make you doubt how she feels?”

Donna stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking back on what Bela had asked her. After a moment, she shook her head. “No, she hasn’t. She actually…does the opposite.” “She does? How so?” “She just–she makes me so happy. She always compliments everything I do, and supports me, and constantly helps out around the house so I have more time to work in the shop. She even,” she chuckled, letting her legs fall back down to hang over the side of the bed again. “She even plays the piano and sings for me while I work so I won’t be alone.” Daniela grinned beside her and gently shook her shoulder. “See? There ya go! Just focus on the positive.”

Donna giggled, and she nodded as she moved to stop leaning against the eldest daughter so she could straighten out her clothes. “I suppose you have a point. I just–I still don’t know how to confess how I feel or ask her.” Cassandra stood and stepped in front of the three, crossing her arms. “Just do it. I don’t see why you’re so anxious about this.” Bela scoffed and stood up as well. “Cass, you need to–” “No, listen to me. I may not understand why people fall in love, but I do know that Aunt Donna and [Y/N] love each other. It’s not a temporary thing–especially for them–so she doesn’t need to worry so much about what could go wrong.” She turned to Donna, who had been listening intently. “She won’t say no, I promise. Just find whatever courage you need and tell her how you feel.”

The doll-maker smiled up at her, though no one could see it, and nodded. “I’ll do my best. Thank you–all three of you.”

They all beamed at her warmly. “Of course,” Daniela responded. “So, how’re you going to confess?” Donna blushed, her shoulders growing tense. “Oh, well…I’m not entirely sure. I know you said I couldn’t–and shouldn’t–use Angie, so I’m having to find a way to rehearse what I want to say for myself.” “And what do you have so far?” “Well…”

E////F////B

Donna cleared her throat, twirling her fork around and moving bits of food across the plate. “So, [Y/N],” she mumbled barely loud enough to hear. [Y/N]’s head perked up at the sound of her name. “Yes?” “I-I, uhm…” She glanced up at the girl across the table and blushed once they made eye contact, quickly averting her gaze and staring down at her lap. She looked over to find Angie giving her a thumbs up from several feet behind the [h/c] girl. With a shaky breath, Donna’s hands dropped down to pick at themselves underneath the table. She felt her heart hammering against her ribs, silently wondering if [Y/N] could hear it as well, and she found it hard to breathe properly. She whispered a few words of encouragement to herself under her breath.

Finally, she looked back up, though she couldn’t maintain eye contact, and she felt her arm jerking its way slowly above the table. Her palm presented itself face up–a silent plea for [Y/N] to hold her hand, which she did happily. Donna felt herself sigh. Holding [Y/N]’s hand always calmed her down–she truly felt at peace with her. “Can I be honest with you about something?” [Y/N] squeezed her hand softly, a small smile painting her lips.

“Of course you can. What is it?” Her calm tone felt welcoming–like it had no judgment behind it. Donna cleared her throat again. It felt too soon into the evening to be confessing like this, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She had to know if [Y/N] felt the same. “It’s about why I brought you here tonight. I wanted it to be special because what I need to tell you is…very personal. It’s important to me.” “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me this then.” Donna chuckled, mindlessly rubbing her face with her free hand as she felt her face heating up even more.

“I have more than trust for you, [Y/N], believe me.” [Y/N] tilted her head, suddenly growing anxious. “Is something wrong?” “No, no, nothing is wrong. I just–” She finally looked her in the eye. “You mean the world to me [Y/N]. You’ve made my life so much better from the moment you arrived. You always know what to say and do to make me feel happy. You make sure I eat enough throughout the day, that I take plenty of breaks, that I get plenty of rest. You always help with the cleaning and cooking, so I have even more time to work on my projects, but you still manage to sit in the room with me to keep me company. I’ve never felt so…loved and important to someone. I truly hope you feel the same way about me.”

[Y/N] was awestruck. Her blush was evident as she responded. “I do, Donna. I do feel the same way. You mean the world to me as well. It might be really corny for me to say this, but I just can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to imagine my life without you.” Donna felt the tears already trickling down her cheek and across her jawline. She felt her fears slowly easing up. This was a great sign–she shared the same feelings about how important they were to one another. She smiled, squeezing [Y/N]’s hand even tighter. “I’m so glad.”

They stared at each other for a long while, both too afraid to say anything in fear of ruining the moment. Angie, however, came bounding over and pulled on Donna’s pant leg. “Tell her how you feel already! It’s getting dark, and I’m getting tired!” Donna shooed her away silently, her head perking up when [Y/N] giggled. “Angie, don’t rush her. She shouldn’t feel uncomfortable no matter what she has to say.”

Donna felt her heart beating faster. She stared at her for a long moment, her mind racing. “Donna? You okay?” She jumped. “Y-Yes!” [Y/N]’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at her sudden urgent tone, making Donna blush as she reflected immediately on how she answered. She cleared her throat and covered her mouth. “I-I apologize. Yes, I’m alright.” “Okay, that’s good.” “But what Angie was talking about–about me telling you…how I feel?” “Yes?” “Before I tell you, could I possibly ask if you’d promise me something?” “Of course.” “Can you promise me that you won’t leave me? That nothing will change between us?”

[Y/N] laughed nervously, but quickly composed herself a bit when she saw just how terrified and expectant Donna seemed. “I promise, but what exactly are you wanting to tell me? I’m sure nothing could be bad enough to damage our relationship.” Donna nodded, wiping her tears away and gripping [Y/N]’s trembling hand in her own. “I suppose we’ll see. I just want–I want to tell you,” her voice trailed off, her confidence faltering and crumbling.

“Take your time, okay? Don’t feel like you have to rush.” Donna remembered every word of encouragement from the people who knew about that night–Bela’s, Cassandra’s, Daniela’s, and even [Y/N]’s. She needed to get this over with. The feeling of being a burden returned–she was taking too long to get it out there. She gripped her leg tightly and took three deep breaths. Steeling her nerves, she blurted it out before she could lose her courage and back out of it again–the way she had done so many times before.

“I love you.”

She felt a weight lift off of her shoulders, though it wasn’t much. She still needed to know if [Y/N] felt the same. She pried her eye open and finally darted her gaze back up to find [Y/N]’s, only to discover that the [h/c] girl was blushing profusely. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment, making Donna even more anxious. “Did…did I ruin this?” She asked softly. [Y/N] slipped her hand from Donna’s to wave them dismissively in front of her. “Oh, no! No, Donna, not at all! I’m so sorry, I just—wasn’t expecting you to be the first one to confess.” Donna’s heart fluttered at the statement. She wanted to smile, but she needed to make sure she didn’t misinterpret the last part of the sentence.

“So…do you feel the same way?” “Yes! Yes, I do.” “Say it!” A random voice suddenly called from around the corner of the house. Both women jumped and turned to find Daniela peeking around the corner while Bela and Cassandra tried to pull her back into hiding. “What the hell?” Donna muttered, turning her attention back to [Y/N] when she laughed. “Sorry, they just really scared me,” she said in between breaths. Donna smiled warmly at her and let out a small snicker of her own. “They scared me as well.”

They gazed at each other with love-stricken grins. Finally, [Y/N] brought her hands up and took Donna’s into hers, caressing them softly before bringing her left hand up to press a light kiss to her knuckles. “I love you too,” she confessed. Donna’s heart flipped as a wide smile cracked across her lips. She stood, pulling [Y/N] to her feet, and tugged her into an embrace. “I love you so much. You have no idea how long I've dreamed of saying that to you,” she whispered. The faint sound of buzzing grew louder, and soon, Daniela was beside them, pulling them into a hug of her own. “Yes! See? I told you you could do it!” Bela and Cassandra joined nearby–Bela began to try to pry Daniela off of the two while Cassandra laughed at how ridiculous her sister was being. “Dani, leave them be! You just ruined the moment!” Donna giggled and leaned back from the hug just far enough to look over at her.

“Actually, Bela, she didn’t ruin anything. It’s alright, I promise. It’s nice to see that she’s so supportive of how [Y/N] and I feel about each other.” Bela sighed. “I’m glad, but Dani, you still need to let them go. This is their moment,” she said as she finally managed to yank her sister away from the two. Donna and [Y/N] both giggled at them before turning to stare at each other again. “So what does this mean? Are you two a thing now?” Cassandra suddenly asked as she stepped closer to the group.

The two women glanced at her before returning to each other. They studied each other’s gaze for a while, seemingly communicating without saying a word, and finally turned back to the sisters. “Yes, we are,” [Y/N] announced. Donna looked back down at her, unable to wipe the grin from her face.

“I’m so happy for you both,” Bela replied, softly patting Donna’s shoulder. “I told you this was a requited love.”

Patient

[Resident Evil: Village] Bela Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 10k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Angst, panic attacks, and mentions of not feeling good enough.

[A/N]: This is probably the longest story I've written for Tumblr so far, so I hope you'll enjoy it! I'm really proud of how this one turned out. Individual stories for Cassandra and Daniela will be posted soon as well!

Enjoy!

Maids all parted to the sides as they worked, worried of their safety if they got in the way of all three Dimitrescu sisters as they made their way towards the entrance of the parlor. The three women chatted amongst one another with soft smiles as they grew closer to the door. They had cleaned themselves up a moment ago, making sure their cloaks and dresses were presentable, their hair was thoroughly brushed, and the large stains of blood, that often was an accompanying, trademark feature that adorned their faces, were washed off. As they stepped into the outdoors, warm, bright sunlight beamed down against their fair skin, followed by a gentle breeze that made the leaves of the trees surrounding them rattle lightly.

Bela couldn’t help but sigh at the calm, welcoming feeling of the weather. It was early into Spring, meaning she and both of her younger sisters, Cassandra and Daniela, were finally able to leave the safety of their home without the risk of freezing to death. Three pairs of golden eyes scanned over the landscape surrounding them as they continued to make conversation with one another. The soft blades of grass, once dried and pale shades of gray and black that had died out from the heavy piles of snow and harsh, bitter cold, were now beginning to flourish into a vibrant green. Leaves that littered the floor and clung to the branches of the blossoming trees mirrored the colors of the grass, and were beginning to grow lush and more abundant.

Slowly beginning to tune her sisters out, Bela’s eyes trailed up from the land and gazed up at the sky. Once dark and gloomy with heavy clouds crowding the sky, threatening to pour rain or snow, were clearing up enough to reveal a bright, vast blue sky. The sun planted itself somewhere above, often nestled behind the thin, pale clouds. It brought a smile to the eldest daughter’s face. The scenery alone was comforting to her. She glanced back over at her sisters, who laughed at a joke shared between each other. A wider smile tugged at the corner of her lips, a feeling of contentment washing through her body.

Each year, after her mother, Alcina, was sure that the weather was nice enough to leave for a while, she’d let them head out to the village to shop around for whatever they might’ve needed. Often, Daniela and Bela went to the Duke’s shop to look for new books, although they were typically of different genres, and their sister Cassandra tended to wander around and look for better materials she could use when hand-crafting new weapons to add to her personal collection. They were each given a decent amount of Lei to purchase what they could and avoid going over-the-top. “If you splurge too much, how will you carry everything home?” She often asked when Daniela would ask for more of an allowance.

The three of them had been going there consistently any time the weather was decent enough, and although the majority of the people in the village feared them, there were a few people who didn’t mind talking to them.

One of them, a young woman who was often searching for books in the same place as her and Daniela, had caught Bela’s attention. No matter what had happened during the day, she always seemed to be so welcoming and gleeful when it came to talking to Bela. Although the eldest daughter was usually too anxious to approach her and speak to her first, it was nice to watch as she excitedly talked with Daniela about the books they would read. She couldn’t help it–the girl had certainly piqued her interest. Even just thinking about her would make her smile and cause her heart to flutter with excitement. And hearing her own name–although just being able to hear her voice in general was good enough–roll so easily off of her tongue made her internally swoon.

Yes, [Y/N] [L/N], a young woman whose family had moved into the village only a few years ago, had caught the attention of Bela, Alcina Dimitrescu’s oldest and more formal daughter, almost immediately. She couldn’t help but stare at her as her soft locks of hair gently fluttered with each gentle gust of wind. The way her cheeks turned a shade of red or pink as she laughed–the way her lips would perk up with each smile or hearty laugh. She felt like had just won or accomplished something anytime one of those grins were sent in her direction or caused by a small joke she wasn’t aware anyone had even heard.

She often found herself lying awake in bed at night, staring at the ceiling as she thought about [Y/N]. Her teeth would often bite down and hook against her bottom lip as she bit back small squeals. She had heard of the stories Daniela would read about women falling in love and acting fidgety and flustered. She used to tease her for finding those stories realistic or captivating, but after being able to talk with [Y/N] so often when she would leave the castle, she understood–she would act that way anytime [Y/N]’s name was even mentioned. Her sisters loved to tease her relentlessly for it. As much as she wanted to snap back with some clever retort, she couldn’t help but admit that she felt something for the girl. She’d smile and blush uncontrollably each night as she’d cradle one of her pillows against her chest and picture it as [Y/N]’s smaller form.

A wide smile that made it feel like her face was splitting often painted her lips whenever she so much as thought of the girl.

“Earth to Bela, are you in there?” Finally pulled from her thoughts, Bela blinked to find Cassandra’s hand waving in her face to grab her attention. She looked over at her, her bewilderment evident on her face. “O-Oh, I apologize. I didn’t realize I had started daydreaming,” she muttered with a soft tone. Knowing smirks planted themselves on Daniela and Cassandra’s faces as they snickered. “What’s so funny?” Bela could feel her face burning up, already aware of what they were thinking. She tried to force the tone of her voice to sound assertive rather than defensive, but it was to no avail. “Oh look, Cass, it seems our dear, sweet sister Bela has a crush,” Daniela cooed as she leaned against her other sister’s shoulder and pretended to whisper to her. Cassandra’s own grin seemed to mirror the youngest daughter’s as she leaned over and acted in a similar manner–whispering “secretly” about their sister’s interest.

“Oh, I agree, Daniela. I wonder, though,” she hummed, tapping her chin with her index finger and letting her eyes wander upwards to appear as though she was pondering something. She and Daniela quickly glanced at one another and giggled. They swarmed to float in front of Bela, who was desperately trying to move past them and avoid the teasing she had already been enduring since the two learned of her feelings. She groaned. “Whoever could it be?” Cassandra questioned sarcastically. “Oh yes, I would like to know as well,” Daniela added just as mockingly. She leaned down, her solid form dissolving anytime Bela attempted to pat her backwards. “Tell us, dear sister, who is it that has your attention?”

Fed up with the taunting, Bela swarmed out of her own materialized form and flew past them as quickly as she could. They cackled at her reaction and followed her. After a moment of trying to catch up to her, they shifted back into their solid forms before they crossed the gate that led to the village. They looked around, expecting to see that Bela had done the same, but they couldn’t spot her. They laughed with each other.

“I wish she would just approach the girl already,” Daniela mumbled as they walked out towards their usual places to shop. “Me too. It’s exhausting seeing her get so flustered about her, but then never do a thing about it,” Cassandra responded. “I don’t know. I find it endearing, actually! Pining after her so much, I mean. It reminds me of a book I read! It’s about–” Cassandra swarmed up and waved back at her sister. She didn’t want to get stuck listening to Daniela babble about a cheesy romance novel she had read, but she had also spotted a certain metal she had been searching for for ages. “Gotta go!” She flew off quickly before disappearing from sight.

Daniela’s bottom lip stuck out as she pouted, crossing her arms with a huff. “How rude,” she muttered. Her disappointment was very short-lived, however, upon spotting the pile of books the Duke had stacked up in front of his wagon. Her eyes lit up as she dashed towards it with excitement.

A soft sigh of relief slipped past Bela’s lips once she managed to escape her sisters. “Ah, Lady Bela! It’s a pleasure to see you, my dear!” The Duke welcomed her warmly, his free hand motioning towards a small section of books atop of a crate as his other hand pulled a cigar towards his lips. “I’ve left out the books you ordered, as well as a few I thought you might enjoy. Miss [L/N] mentioned one she figured you’d like as well. It should be the bottom book in the left stack.” A hum sounded from Bela in response as she sauntered over to the pile on the wooden crate, though her face burned a soft shade of pink as she finally processed the final part of the sentence.

Quickly, she lifted the top books from the one the Duke had spoken of, placed the stack hastily to the side, and picked it up to examine it. She flipped it over and skimmed through the summary before turning to show it to the merchant who smiled down at her. “This one?” She asked, unable to hold back her excitement. He nodded with a laugh. “Yes, she was quite adamant about paying extra for it to be sent in quickly too!” “Really? Will you let her know I want to thank her?” “Oh, there’s no need for that. She’ll be here in a moment to look through the newer selection I have! You’ll have the perfect opportunity to thank her yourself! I believe she left a note for you as well,” he pondered aloud as he dug in a satchel beside him.

“Aha, here we are!” He pulled a small, folded note from the bag and leaned forward as far as he could to hand it to her. Bela stepped forward with anticipation and slipped the paper from his hand. She tucked the book under her arm as she delicately unfolded the note and read through it.

Lady Bela,

I know I could’ve simply told you about this book instead of purchasing it with my own money, but I really wanted to surprise you! I really hope you’ll enjoy it. It’s sort of similar to the last few you read that we spoke about, although I’m sure Daniela would enjoy it as well, possibly even more!

It’s mainly about what you enjoy reading–the history of how this village came to be with insight on different points of views–but it also includes a bit of romance that was a huge deal several years ago. I’m sure your sister would love that. It would certainly give her something to chat about with you and Cassandra, even though Cass seems to find romance…dull?

Ah, I’m not sure how to phrase it, but either way, this book is a quick read, and I’m sure you’ll love it. It can even give us something to chat about the next time we bump into each other!

Yours truly,

[Y/N] [L/N]

Her face went red at the girl’s kind consideration. That, and the small doodles of hearts that lined the page. She hadn’t realized just how wide the grin on her face had gotten until she heard the Duke chuckling from his seat. Glancing up, she saw him draw a puff from his cigar with a knowing look. “Well, you’re positively glowing, my dear,” he mumbled. Bela felt her face growing warmer as she turned away to hide it, earning another hearty laugh from behind her.

“I do hope you can pull yourself together quickly though. It seems your little gift-giver is headed this way now.” The woman felt herself jolt and spin on her heel to stare behind her. Sure enough, [Y/N] was headed towards the merchant’s cart. Bela felt her breath hitch in her throat once her gaze trailed across the young woman’s features.

Wearing her usual, welcoming smile, [Y/N] was growing closer to the stand. Her ankle boots clacked softly along the dirt path. The skirt she wore was flowing with the gentle breeze that lightly blew her hair as well. She wore a thin, knitted sweater, which she kept tucked into the waistline of her shirt. Her sleeves were littered with small patches of flowers and birds that she had stitched in herself, though they were cast in a soft shadow from the sunhat that adorned her head.

Bela’s heart hammered against her ribs as her now unsteady gaze studied [Y/N]’s face: The way her delicate eyes slightly squeezed themselves shut in glee, her brows lifting and furrowing together just barely to make her nose scrunch up a bit. Her soft lips stretched upwards into a wide smile as she waved towards one of her neighbors down the path. Finally, her eyes fluttered open, and the eyes that Bela often found herself unknowingly gazing into were now peering up at her through her lashes.

She wasn’t sure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but Bela could’ve sworn [Y/N]’s smile only grew wider once they finally made eye contact with one another. “Lady Bela!” She yelled as she quickened her pace. After a moment of lightly jogging, [Y/N] stood in front of Bela, who was now trembling and screaming at herself internally to clear her throat and regain her composure. “It’s so nice to see you again!” Her eyes scanned down to find the note jittering in the flustered woman’s grasp.

“Is…everything okay?” Her expression, carefree and excited just moments ago, was now lightly dampened to appear concerned. Oh, how Bela wanted to crush that feeling. She could feel her heart throbbing uncomfortably in her chest, though she managed to squeak out a quiet, “Yes.”

[Y/N] stepped a bit closer, her hand lifting and gently planting itself on Bela’s, which jerked slightly at the contact. “It wasn’t because of my note, was it? Oh, I shouldn’t have been so weird about it. I-I’m sorry–” “No!” It was [Y/N] who jumped from surprise that time, though Bela seemed equally, if not more, shocked by her own reaction. “Ah, I mean,” she mentally slapped herself for stammering, quickly clearing her throat and running her free hand down her face.

“I-I didn’t mean to yell, I apologize. But no, it wasn’t your note, I promise. Something’s just,” she stopped herself, doing her best to ignore the silent snickering from the Duke. With a shake of her head, she managed to finally smile. “Nothing’s wrong.” [Y/N]’s head tilted a bit as she studied her expression, which she was sure was pathetic: she could feel her lip quivering, though [Y/N] didn’t comment on it. “Alright,” she mumbled cautiously.

“Anyway, are you about to head back home?” A spark zapped itself through Bela’s veins, the crimson color once again rushing to her face. “Uh,” she started, struggling horrendously to maintain eye contact.

“No, not quite yet, I,” she glanced up at the Duke, who nodded. “I actually just got here myself. I barely finished reading your note before I saw you. M-My sisters will probably be looking around for a while though, so I’ll have to find a way to occupy myself until they’re ready to leave.” [Y/N] nodded, offering that damned smile Bela couldn’t seem to get enough of. “Why–um–why do you ask?” “Oh, I was just curious. I wasn’t sure if your sisters were here with you today or not,” came [Y/N]’s reply.

A soft sigh slipped past Bela’s lips. It wasn’t until [Y/N]’s hand lifted upwards and towards her torso that she realized it was still resting on her own. She froze, though quickly felt her tensed muscles relax once she realized [Y/N] had only reached forward to slip the book out from under her arm. “Ah, I see you got the book I ordered! Did you read the summary yet? What did you think?” The same fuzzy feeling that Bela often felt making itself known in her chest was returning upon seeing how passionate [Y/N] was about the book.

The fact that she had hand-picked the book with only her interest in mind, and used her own money to pay for it, made Bela feel so special. She realized something after a moment.

“Oh, um, speaking of the book, I’d like to pay you back for it.” “Oh, you don’t have to do that!” “I-I feel like I should. I mean, I know you and the other villagers don’t have much money, and I wouldn’t want you to go broke over,” she halted, a horrified look crossing her features, “this…” Quickly, she waved her hands dismissively in front of her, desperately trying to take back her words. “N-No, wait, that’s not what I meant! Oh god, I just meant that–” An amused giggle interrupted her spewing of words. She hid her reddened face in her hands with a groan as [Y/N] seemingly laughed at her misery.

Her fingers parted to look through once a light, warm hand gently rubbed her arm. “It’s okay, I know what you were trying to say, you dork.”

Had anyone else been the one to call her that, they would’ve been ripped apart relentlessly. Hearing it come from the girl she found herself pining for, however, made it seem much more lighthearted, and more of a compliment than anything. She grinned sheepishly, letting her hands slip from her face and weave themselves together anxiously in front of her torso. “I’m glad,” was all she could say.

“But seriously, you don’t have to pay me back for it. The Duke and I worked out a bit of a deal,” [Y/N] reassured, turning her head slightly to nod to the man still glancing at them. “Oh? And what’s that?” A sudden, familiar voice questioned. Bela growled once her youngest sister made her presence known. Daniela slid to stand beside her and [Y/N], whose face lit up once again. “Dani, hey!” Her hand slid from Bela’s arm, making her frown, allowing her to throw her arms around the youngest Dimitrescu and pull her into a tight embrace.

Daniela laughed warmly and hugged her back. She eventually stepped away once she saw how hurt Bela seemed. “What deal did you work out with him, hm?” She asked, changing the tone.

“Oh, I just agreed to help him deliver most of his packages in return for a discount on the book,” [Y/N] explained. “Yes, and quite a delivery-gal she is! She must’ve taken care of over half of my stock within a day,” the Duke added. “Quite efficient.”

[Y/N] laughed bashfully, scratching at the back of her neck. “Well, I really did just want the discount, but it was also nice to help out! I got to talk to a few of my friends that I hadn’t spoken with in a while. It was a win-win situation.” Bela smiled softly at her, though she wasn’t enjoying [Y/N]’s attention being torn away from her so much. How she wished she could take her far away to a calm, secluded place where they only had each other. It was selfish, and she was aware of that, but it was so hard for her to talk to [Y/N]. And now that she finally had a relatively steady conversation going, more or less, the Duke and her own sister were stealing that from her.

Already, she could feel herself crumbling away, a feeling she was far too familiar with. She felt her arms slide up to hold herself as she watched the woman she loved seem so much happier with anyone but her. She knew it was just her insecurities eating away at her confidence and any sense of logic, but because she hadn’t known the feeling in that situation well enough, she wasn’t sure how to fight it off or ignore it.

As if the world hadn’t already been cruel enough to her sensitivity, Cassandra flew over and struck up a conversation as well.

She knew that even if she had a chance of “courting” this girl and bringing her into her home, she’d have to adjust to the fact her sisters would also be there to talk with her. The overwhelming feeling of needing to be perfect, however–something that seemed to be built into her mindset–was diminishing the logical side of things. Her mind was telling her that [Y/N] wasn’t devoting her attention solely to her because she wasn’t good enough–she wasn’t perfect enough.

Maybe if she seemed more confident and casual, then maybe, just maybe, [Y/N] would seem as interested in her as she was–maybe the feeling would be mutual. Her mind started to wander and race, rendering her hearing useless as she tuned the rest of the world out.

At length, a hand, the same hand that had grounded her into reality just moments ago, returned to her arm. She blinked once, twice, and finally a third before her focus returned. The Duke, Daniela, Cassandra, and [Y/N] were all staring at her now, and even though Cassandra always tried to seem harsh, she was visibly concerned.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

[Y/N]’s hand drove itself upwards and turned, allowing the back of her knuckles to gently come into contact with Bela’s forehead. “Are you sick? Can…” She turned to Daniela and Cassandra. “Can you even get sick?”

Bela cleared her throat, fighting to stay in the present as she took [Y/N]’s hand into her own before brushing it off of her clammy skin. “I’m fine, I promise.” Before the others had a chance to press her further, she felt her legs swarming into the flies that made up her being, allowing her to lift her weight up off the ground. “I have to go.”

With that, she raced desperately back towards the castle, her lungs tightening to a painful degree and her hand shaking harshly as she struggled to keep a grip on the note she hadn’t even realized she was still in possession of.

“Oh gosh,” Daniela murmured. Concerned, [Y/N] turned to Cassandra and Daniela, only to find them staring off at where Bela had disappeared. After a long moment, they glanced at each other, mirroring expressions of guilt and worry. “Guys?” They finally turned to her, and their faces shifted to slight sorrow. “Is she okay?”

Weakly, Daniela smiled and stepped in front of her, gently squeezing her shoulder before nodding to Cassandra, who reciprocated the motion. “She’ll…be okay. We’ll talk to you later, alright?” [Y/N] couldn’t even respond before the two women in front of her flew off, carrying the books that Bela had left behind. She was silent, her stomach turning with the fear that she had done something wrong. With great difficulty, she swallowed the lump in her throat and clutched at her knitted sweater, anxiously looking towards the Duke for an answer.

He could only muster a shrug with a look of pure sympathy, unsure how to lighten the mood.

 “Bela!” Daniela hollered out as she shoved the parlor doors open. “Bela, where’d you go?” She was well aware her eldest sister could hear her with ease, but she also knew she likely wasn’t going to get a response. There had only been a few times she had gotten this upset, and she always seemed to find a different place to hide away in, clearly not wanting to be found until she had gathered herself.

“Dani, maybe we should just give her some space this time,” Cassandra mumbled uncharacteristically. Shaking her head stubbornly, Daniela turned to her, looking at her as if she were crazy. “We can’t do that, Cass. You’ve seen how she gets when she gets too far into her own head. We have to help her snap out of it one way or another. Do you really want to see her secluding herself this way and hurting herself even more?” Cassandra could only sigh as she thought to herself. “You know I don’t, but what if she just needs to figure this out for herself?”

“Cass, do you really think she can figure something like this out in her state? You saw her back in the village: it looked like she couldn’t even hear or see anyone around her until someone spoke to her.” She sucked in a steadying breath. “And if you won’t try to help her with me, then I’ll find a way to cheer her up on my own.” Halfway through her sentence, Daniela had flown up above the cold, slick tile beneath her, and as she let out her final phrase, she dashed up the stairs to begin her search for Bela.

“Daniela, wait!” Cassandra called out after her. It was clear she wasn’t going to get through to her younger sister either way, especially with how stubborn she was with these kinds of situations. She glanced down at the ground beneath her and caught her own reflection in the polished stone. Grumbling, she found herself flying after Daniela up the stairs. “Goddammit, Dani, you’d better know what you’re doing.”

Bela knew it was only a matter of time before her sisters found her. At that moment, however, she didn’t care. The sheer panic and depression was weighing heavy upon her shoulders as she curled even further into herself. She had tucked herself away in the corner of one of the rooms just above the ballroom, wriggling herself uncomfortably in between the tight space that rested in the middle of the Labyrinth structure and the wall. She couldn’t help the weeping that wracked throughout her body.

She knew how ridiculous it was to be sobbing over something so small, but her insecurities were a demon in her mind that only seemed to grow larger with each conversation she shared with [Y/N].

Her fingers dug into the fabric of her cloak’s hood, yanking it harshly over her head to shield her face from the outside world. She could feel her entire body trembling, making it hard to breathe or think properly. Why was she so selfish? [Y/N] had every right to talk to others. After all, they weren’t together.

They never would be.

Her heart stopped beating momentarily as two sets of footsteps landed harshly in front of her. She gasped roughly, her breathing ragged as she lifted her hood up to peer at the intruders: it was none other than her two sisters, Daniela and Cassandra. She tried so desperately to scream at them for startling her so badly, but her mouth refused to form the words.

“Dani, you can’t just rush in on her like that!” Cassandra hollered. She glanced over at Bela, whose eyes were filled with pure terror. She felt herself gasp softly before tugging Daniela to the side and lowering her voice to a whisper. “Give her some space. She’s having a panic attack.” Daniela shifted her body to turn and peer at Bela from over her shoulder, finding the blonde trembling unbelievably harshly, her breathing coming out in harsh rasps.

“Shit, what do we do?” Cassandra sighed, slowly turning around to face Bela. “Just…stay here and don’t do anything stupid. I know how to deal with this.” “You do? How?” “That’s not important. Just don’t get too close to her.” “Fine, but we’re having a talk later on.”

Slowly, Cassandra trudged to plant herself a reasonable distance away from her sister, who still had tears pouring across her cheeks like rivers. She crouched down and sat on the floorboards that creaked softly underneath her. “Bela,” she started, her tone almost at a whisper. “Can you hear me?” Bela’s eyes shot over to her, seemingly landing on her but not finding the source. Her eyes flickered in a panicked manner as if she were reading a script right in front of her, yet so far into the distance as well. A subtle nod was her answer after a moment.

“I want you to try to breathe with me, okay? Just three deep breaths, that’s it. Can you do that?”

Again, a small, delayed nod was her response.

Cassandra took in her first deep breath, making sure she did so loud enough for Bela to hear. Although she struggled and her breath was staggered, Bela managed to repeat what her sister did. “Good, just two more,” Cassandra whispered.

She sucked in another breath, watching as her older sister mimicked her actions. She made sure to hold her breath for a second before letting it out just as slowly. “You’re doing great. One more, okay?” She could see Bela’s hazy eyes slowly starting to clear.

Breathe in.

Hold it.

Breathe out.

Finally, Bela blinked normally, her breathing somewhat back to where it was when she had been calm. “Good. I want you to focus on your breathing for a moment. Try to do it how we just did, alright?” She nodded, this time almost immediately. One of her hands, still clutching her hood, dropped down to her chest, allowing herself to feel it rising and falling with each breath. Finally, she could feel the tingling sensation in her limbs starting to subside ever-so-slightly.

“May I move closer?” Cassandra questioned cautiously.

Again, Bela nodded, still unable to speak.

Cassandra inched towards her slowly, making sure Bela knew she could tell her when to stop if she still needed some space. “Can you see me?” Bela nodded. “Good.” Surprisingly, Cassandra was able to sit herself down directly in front of her sister without much of a reaction. “Okay, let’s take things slow. Let me know if I need to move away,” she instructed softly. “What do you hear?” Bela seemed to focus for the first time in what felt like hours, straining her ears to hear past the ringing. “Your voice. You and Daniela’s heartbeat. T-The birds outside the window.” “Good job. Can you tell me what you can see?”

“Y-You and Dani, a-and my…my,” her eyes trailed down, a small folded sheet of paper catching her attention. Almost instantly, images flashed through her mind and her breathing started to quicken again. “Okay, okay,” Cassandra did her best to remain calm so as to not freak out her sister even more. “Hey, just look at me, alright? Everything’s okay.” She leaned forward, attempting to reach out and grab the note, but Bela was quick to shove her backwards. “Don’t touch it!”

Cassandra obliged, holding her hands up in surrender. “I won’t touch it, I promise. See? I’ll move away a bit.” She scooted backwards to increase the distance between her and Bela once again. “Let’s move on from that, alright? What do you smell?”

Bela looked at her, her eyes full of skepticism and a mix of fear and sorrow. She hesitantly managed to take in another deep breath, the scents around her greeting her. “I can smell the dust from the shelves,” she mumbled, her nose scrunching up. Daniela stepped forward slowly and sat next to Cassandra. “I guess we’ll have to make sure the maids aren’t slacking off again,” she joked in an equally soft tone. A gentle smile finally painted Bela’s lips in amusement. “I-I…suppose so.”

“What can you taste?” Bela grimaced once more. “My tears.” Daniela frowned, but looked towards Cassandra, who nodded. The two of them carefully moved closer, both holding out a hand. Shakily, Bela’s hands lifted themselves and rested on top of her sisters’. “What can you feel?” Daniela asked. Bela’s fingers stretched out far enough to wrap themselves around her sisters’ hands, squeezing them gently.

“The two of you. I can feel your hands in mine.”

Cassandra and Daniela both sighed from relief when they heard their eldest sister finally let out a small laugh. “Can you take three more deep breaths for me?” Bela nodded, and both of her sisters joined in on her breathing.  After the third, they smiled fondly at each other.

“Th-Thank you. Both of you.” “You don’t have to thank us. You’re our sister, silly. We love you.” Daniela moved forward and pulled her sister into a hug. Cassandra almost scolded her for it, but relaxed when she saw that Bela didn’t mind. She was eventually pulled into the embrace herself, though she didn’t make a fuss this time. They stayed that way until Bela finally felt calm enough to lean back.

 With a sniffle, the blonde glanced down and picked up the note from her lap. “I suppose I should go apologize to [Y/N] for acting so…weird.” “Nope,” Daniela quipped, standing and offering her hand to help her sister stand. “Nuh uh, not until we know you’re calm enough. Think about what you wanna say before you go embarrass yourself. Like usual.” Cassandra scowled and elbowed her sister in the arm, making her wince but laugh. Bela laughed with her and took her hand, letting herself be pulled up onto her feet. “You’re right about thinking it through, though. Why don’t you write down what you wanna say so you can kind of rehearse it?” Cassandra offered, watching with a grimace as Daniela’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh, that’s a lovely idea! Oh, you should write her a letter! I mean, she already wrote one for you, even though it was just about a book, but still!” “Dani, that’s–” The brunette thought for a moment. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Man, I didn’t know you could actually have a good idea in that tiny brain of yours,” she mocked, ruffling the redhead’s hair. “Hey! That’s not true! I’m plenty smart, right Bela?”

Bela looked between them before laughing. Cassandra snickered at her reaction as Daniela pouted, though she looked confused once her oldest sister’s hand planted itself gently atop her head. “Yes, you’re a bright girl, Dani. Especially when it comes to romance.”

She looked up, freezing when she saw how shocked her sisters looked. “Uh…” Daniela squealed again, bouncing up and down on her toes as she hugged Bela. “Romance? Ah, you mean you’re gonna write a letter of confession?” For the first time since the whole ordeal, Bela’s face went beet red. “N-No, I was just–! Ugh, Cass, a little help here?” There was no response. “Cass…?” She looked up to see her sister faking a tear. “Oh, they grow up so fast,” she said teasingly. “Wh–I’m older than both of you!” “Hey, that’s not official! Mother Miranda never said who was the oldest!”

Cassandra finally laughed, her expression shifting to one of sincerity. “No, but in all seriousness, Bela, I don’t think writing her a letter to confess is a bad idea at all. I mean, as long as you hand it to her and actually wait for her response instead of flying away like a wimpy man-thing from one of Dani’s novels.” “Hey!” Bela also had a look of offense written on her features, though it was clear that hers was fake. “How dare you compare me to a man-thing from Daniela’s cheesy romance novels?”

“Bela, not you too!”

A soft, almost silent sound of a pencil furiously scribbling against paper was the only sound that could be heard from Bela’s bedroom. For the past few hours, after eating a healthy dinner and spending time with her family, Bela finally had a clear mind. As the rest of her family headed off to bed, she stayed awake at the study in her room, working on writing the perfect letter of confession to hopefully give to [Y/N] before the weather got too harsh again. There were crumpled up pieces of paper strewn about the desktop and the floor surrounding her, though she could feel the growing number of them would come to a halt soon.

She could sense that she was so close to writing the perfect letter. At first, she had tried to write a longer note, though Cassandra’s sarcastic remarks about turning into a cliche, smitten poet put an end to those drafts. She tried making it as short as possible, but Daniela’s whining about it not being emotional or expressive enough had her tossing those to the side as well. She wasn’t sure how to properly write a letter in this form, it just wasn’t her. She was never good with expressing any emotion other than anger towards outsiders. Daniela was the expert when it came to flirting and being romantic about different gestures. That’s why she had her youngest sister help her out the most.

Cassandra, although she didn’t understand why she was so adamant about the letter being perfect, understood that it meant a lot to her sister that everything went smoothly, even if her confession was rejected. She put it upon herself to pretty up the garden, more specifically Bela’s favorite spot to read and just think to herself. It surprised her most of all that she hardly asked the maids to help her tidy things up, though she figured it was just because she wanted it to look perfect for her sister.

A swift knock sounded from the door, making Bela jump in her seat. “Come in,” she called out after recognizing the pattern of the knock. Daniela pushed the door open and strolled inside, Cassandra trailing after her. “How’s it coming along?” The youngest asked as she leaned against the desk. Bela looked up, ready to answer, but instead found herself snickering at Cassandra, who scowled.

“Cass, what on earth did you do? You’re covered in flowers and grass and dirt,” she questioned with a laugh. Cassandra’s eyebrows raised and she frantically started picking off stray petals and twigs that peppered her cloak. “Dani! Why didn’t you say anything?” Daniela laughed as well, making her sister fume. “I’m sorry, you just look so funny like that! I wanted Bela to see.”

“Ugh, I hate you both. But if you must know, I was out in the garden making sure your favorite spot looks nice enough for when you bring [Y/N] here to confess.” Bela blushed, the grip on her pencil tightening. “Wait, really? I…” She looked down at the letter Daniela had been helping her write the past few hours. “I really can’t thank the two of you enough. I never expected either of you to care this much about me confessing to her.”

“Hey, we’re your sisters!” Daniela chirped. “We want to see you happy! Plus, [Y/N] is really cool. Having her as a sister-in-law sounds amazing!” Cassandra smirked. “Yeah, she could listen to your banter about your stories in my place.” Daniela sneered playfully at her before looking back down at Bela. “Ah, I think you two are putting too much faith into this. There’s still the possibility that she’ll reject me after all.” “Who, [Y/N]? Nah, I can’t see her doing that. She seems to really like you,” Daniela reassured. Cassandra hummed and nodded in agreement.

“Well, yeah, but after that whole…incident in the village?” “Nuh uh uh, you’re getting in your own head again. Don’t do that. Just try to imagine everything going perfectly! I don’t think [Y/N] is–no, actually, I know she’s not the type to hold something like that against you. She was actually really, really concerned when you ran off. Well, flew off, but–” “Dani, stay on one point, oh my god.” Bela laughed at Cassandra’s remark.

“I guess you’re right.”

“‘Course I am! Now, how’s the letter coming along?” Bela sighed, signing her name at the bottom quickly. “Ooh, bold move,” Daniela murmured. “Daniela, she’s going to be standing directly in front of her when she hands it to her. I don’t see how that’s bold.”

Cassandra walked towards the desk, leaning over to be eye-level with her eldest sister, who looked nervous. “Oh, and Dani and I will be nearby to make sure you don’t fly off before she can tell you how she feels. You aren’t leaving this time.” Bela forced a smile, not wanting to comment on how creepy what her sister had just said sounded. “Right, well…what do you think?” She picked up her letter, blowing off the eraser shavings before handing it back to her youngest sister, who skimmed over it rather quickly. She was met with a squeal.

“Oh, this is so romantic! And you took my suggestion about adding the figurative language! She’s going to love this, I just know it!” Bela beamed at her sister’s reaction, pleased with what she had managed to write. “But you aren’t going to leave it in pencil, are you?” “Oh, no, I was going to go over it again with one of my pens before I get some sleep. That way it’ll have time to dry so I can erase the pencil markings underneath.” “Ah, smart.”

Daniela hummed, tilting her head as she glanced over the letter again. Bela felt her confidence falter at this, making her nervously ask what was wrong. “Oh, nothing’s wrong, I just think you could…spruce it up a bit, y’know?” She gasped, reaching towards one of the pens on the desk. “I know! You could add hearts around the edges like she did with hers!”

Bela’s face went red and she snatched the sheet of paper back before any further markings could be made. “Dani, I’m not–wait, how did you know she did that?” Daniela appeared nervous now, scratching her cheek anxiously. “Ah, well, I might’ve slipped it from your pocket while we were eating and then read it while I was in the library.” “Dani!” “I’m sorry! I just couldn’t help myself.”

Frantically, Bela searched her pockets for the note, only for her youngest sister to laugh shyly and pull it out from her own. With a relieved sigh, Bela snatched it from her hand and cradled it against her chest. “God, I hope this goes well.”

“It will! You just have to put more faith in [Y/N]! And, of course, my expertise in romance,” Daniela cooed while playfully wiggling her eyebrows. Bela couldn’t help but laugh, looking back towards the letter she had written once again resting on the desk. Hesitantly, she took a pen from its resting spot in her small metal bin and dipped it in ink. With a shaky hand, she brought the tip of the pen to land just beside her signature, slowly drawing a single heart.

It may not have been what Daniela was wanting her to do, but it was hers. It was Bela’s heart now printed on the letter she had written out of love.

Morning came sooner than Bela had wanted. The bright sunlight crept through the blinds shielding her window, caressing her face and stirring her awake. She groaned and slowly sat up, staring down silently as she watched the covers fall, internally hoping her sisters had done their part for the day already. They had told her they’d head into the village before she woke up to let [Y/N] know Bela had requested to see her in the afternoon. If they had, then she only had a few hours to prepare.

First, she went out to the garden to make sure everything was neat and clean. She was surprised to see how much more beautiful Cassandra had made it seem than before. The pearly white lattice archway that led to her most cherished spot had been washed, removing all of the mud and stray cobwebs. A series of different roses found throughout the garden now wrapped themselves nicely around the wooden frame, helping it appear more natural. Past the archway, the soft, vibrantly green grass had been neatly trimmed. The weeds that had shoved themselves in between the stones that encircled her favorite tree had been removed, and the bench nearby had been polished and thoroughly cleaned.

Secondly, she headed back upstairs to make sure the ink had dried from the night before. She was relieved to find that it had, and she quickly but gently erased the pencil markings beneath the bold strokes. Daniela had left a pristine envelope next to it with a wax stamp print in the shape of a heart. Bela carefully folded the sheet of paper and tucked it into the envelope, hesitantly melting enough wax to use the stamp and seal it shut.

Finally, she made sure she looked her best. She rummaged throughout the kitchen, much to the confusion of the maids, and fixed herself a healthier alternative to what they had prepared for breakfast. She ate it quickly before heading back upstairs.

She showered swiftly, spraying on her favorite perfume and brushing her teeth and hair. Before applying her makeup, she headed to her wardrobe to search for something to wear. Instead of opening the door to find her different assortments of clothing, she found every shirt, skirt, and pair of pants shoved to one side. All but one set–a pair of black, loose-fitted slacks, a matching pair of flats, and a striking red button-up shirt. On top of the folded pants and underneath the shoes, there was a small, square piece of paper. As Bela lifted it from the shelf, a hair clip with a plastic daisy fell to the floor. Confused, Bela skimmed over the note. Sure enough, this was Daniela’s doing.

Hey, sis! Let me explain why I did this before you come after me. [Y/N]’s only ever seen you in dark clothing, so I thought that would be a nice thing to keep. That way things wouldn’t seem so unnatural! But, I also know how much you love daisies, so I left a hair clip I found of one. I hope you’ll like it. I really think [Y/N] will.

-Your fav sister

Although she was slightly annoyed at how Daniela had chosen her outfit for such an important day, Bela couldn’t help the wide grin that made its way across her lips. Her sister had put so much effort into making sure today was perfect–both of them had. She couldn’t be more grateful for her sisters.

She gently placed the small note on her desk before taking the set of clothes into the bathroom with her to change. Once she was fully dressed, she managed to apply her makeup before someone knocked at the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Cass. Daniela said I should help you with your hair? I don’t know why.” Bela giggled and opened the door. “Uh, probably because you’re the best at braiding and styling things? If you weren’t, the garden wouldn’t look nearly as perfect as it does.”

Cassandra’s face reddened a bit at the sudden compliment, unable to bite back her smile. “Well, either way, we should hurry. [Y/N] should be here in about an hour, and you still need to rehearse what you’re going to say when she gets here.”

Bela nodded, stepping out of the bathroom after grabbing her hairbrush and a few hair ties. She and Cassandra sauntered over to her bed, where she sat on the floor so it’d be easier for her sister. After being handed the brush, Cassandra got to work, quickly weaving Bela’s blonde strands into two neat braids that pulled back a portion of her hair, stretching around the crown of her head. She pulled the remaining hair into a bun, insisting that there aren’t too many loose strands or stray hairs. Finally, she stood and moved to crouch in front of Bela to brush her bangs a bit so they framed her face nicely.

She stepped back, seemingly proud of her work. “There we go,” she declared with a sigh. Bela stood, heading over to the bathroom once more to glance at herself in the reflection. Her eyebrows raised in surprise at how beautiful she looked. Cassandra stepped in and stood beside her, smiling at her reassuringly. The daisy hair clip caught her eye. She picked it up and shook her head with a soft laugh. “Dani, huh?” Bela smiled anxiously. “Yeah, she’s also the one who chose my outfit.”

Cassandra quickly looked over her attire, impressed. “Well, she was right to choose this one. It really suits you.” She stepped forward and slid the clip against Bela’s hair, snapping it gently into place to help reveal more of her face. The two then turned back to the mirror, and Cassandra patted her sister on the shoulder. “You look amazing. I’m sure [Y/N] will agree.”

Trembling once again with fear, Bela did her best to steady her breathing as she waited patiently in the garden. A quick glance up towards the most visible window let her see both of her sisters gazing down at her with comforting smiles, both giving a thumbs up. She smiled, then let her head lean back down to stare at the envelope she held tightly against her chest.

“Bela?”

She jumped immediately. The nerves she had thought were finally settling spiked up again, making her yelp. She took in a deep breath and forced herself to regain her composure before she turned around. Once laying eyes on [Y/N], however, her ability to seem calm and collected faltered. Her breath stuttered in her throat, her face entirely red once again. “[Y/N], holy…you look,” She didn’t want to simply say “beautiful,” it seemed far too vague. She couldn’t quite think of the right word to describe how [Y/N] looked. Would beautiful have to do?

“You look so beautiful,” she finally mumbled as her eyes trailed down to study her outfit. Daniela must’ve chosen her outfit for her as well, seeing as how it had the same color scheme. She wore a black skirt with matching one-inch heels, and a red keyhole blouse, though the color was much more muted. Her hair was down like usual, though it was curled and brushed out to give it a wavy effect. Her face turned a shade of pink as Bela’s words, which complimented the color of her shirt.

“Oh, th-thank you. Daniela said you’d like this outfit, so…” Bela hummed to herself. Of course her sister was the one who chose it–it would’ve been an interesting coincidence if they had separately chosen the same pattern. She smiled.

“It looks incredible on you,” was her soft reply. [Y/N] beamed up at her and shifted her hands to find each other behind her, allowing her to fidget with them. “You look incredible as well.” The two of them smiled at each other, though they quickly looked away sheepishly. A tap at the window above caught Bela’s attention. She glanced up and watched as her sisters motioned for her to continue. Forcing herself to draw in a shaky breath, she cleared her throat and nodded, managing to look back at [Y/N], who hadn’t seemed to notice anything.

She stepped forward, catching [Y/N]’s attention. “So, Daniela said you really wanted to tell me something,” the woman said, almost as if she was asking. Bela nodded and glanced down at the envelope. Before she could let herself back down, she felt her arms thrust forward to hold it out. [Y/N] jumped at the sudden motion, but delicately slipped the offered envelope from the blonde’s trembling hands. She flipped it over, her face turning a darker shade of red as she spotted the heart-shaped stamp.

“I-I’m sure you could tell,” Bela started, wrestling with herself to keep her voice steady, “but I’m not exactly the best at expressing my feelings through verbal words, so…I-I had Dani help me write them down instead. And that’s, um…that’s what’s in this envelope.”

Again, if it were possible, [Y/N]’s face burned brighter, now matching the shade of red that painted Bela’s button-up shirt. She gulped and flimsily slid her fingernail underneath the stamp to scratch it from the thin surface, watching as it popped upwards enough for her to lift the top. She inhaled nervously and pulled the folded sheet of paper from the envelope, which she then looked around for a place to put it down. Bela held her hand out. “I can hold that for you,” she whispered.

[Y/N] nodded and handed it to her. “O-Oh, thank you,” she replied just as quietly. She tugged at the paper to unfold it, her eyes scanning over the finely printed writing that Bela had spent so much time forging.

My dearest [Y/N],

I hope this letter isn’t too forward. I’ve been wanting to express my feelings to you for so long now, ever since we first met three years ago. Do you remember that day? My sisters had bombarded you with questions after seeing us speak to one another about a book the Duke had been selling. I remember your reaction then: you were so timid around them. I can still see it in my mind how red your face had gotten as you tried to keep up with Daniela’s enthused chatter. You looked breathtaking then, just as you still do. Your smile as you laughed nervously is still as charming as it is now. And your eyes, the same ones I’ve found myself dreaming about for countless nights, secretly praying that they’d find my own gaze each time I spotted you in the village.

At first, I was too worried that if I said anything too soon, it would ruin how kindly you spoke to me–that you’d find me strange and never speak to me again. I wanted to give things time to ensure this wasn’t going to be a short-lived infatuation. I can say now that it wasn’t. I still adore you, and I would dare to say I do even more than before. You caught my attention from the moment I saw you scanning through the Duke’s selection of stories.

I may be too bold with this, but I wish I could wake up to those stunning eyes of yours every morning. There’s something in your gaze each time that shows me you don’t view me like most of the other villagers do–like a monster. You see me as a human, and I always find myself falling into a trance when you so much as glance in my direction with that same look of kindness in your eyes. I love everything about you, and although this once again may be too bold, I want you to know that I love you.

I love you inside and out. Words can’t even begin to express the way I feel about you, and if they can, then I suppose I just haven’t found them yet. I don’t expect you to return these feelings, especially considering how awkward I always am around you, but I couldn’t keep it inside of myself any longer. I want you to know how I view you and how I feel about you.

I love you, I truly do.

Forever yours,

Bela Dimitrescu 🖤

[Y/N] watched as a tear slipped from her eye and dripped onto the paper. Her hands shook as she brought the backs of them up to wipe her eyes, sniffling and clearing her throat. Bela, now alarmed at her reaction, stepped forward and gently gripped the woman’s wrists, pulling them down to look her in the eye–the same eyes she had expressed her adoration of in the letter. “Oh, what’s wrong? Was it what the letter said? I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have–” “No, no, it’s not that,” [Y/N] interrupted with a giggle. “I mean, it is, but not in a bad way. Your letter was just…so sweet. I-I wasn’t expecting it is all.” She sniffled again, bringing the paper back up to gaze at it with a warm smile.

Bela blushed, glancing down at the letter briefly before letting her focus shift back up to the weeping girl’s face. Her hands slowly moved to hold the girl’s shoulders. “Well, what I said was true. I really do love you, [Y/N]. I’m not sure how you feel about me, but I just had to let you know how I feel about you.”

Again, [Y/N] laughed.

“I didn’t take you as the romantic type, Bela. I always got that vibe from Daniela.” Bela couldn’t help but chuckle with her. She let her hands slide down [Y/N]’s arms, though they stopped at her wrists. She looked up at her as if to ask if it was okay, and when she received a nod accompanied with a loving grin, she let her hands hold [Y/N]’s the way she had been craving to do for years. She couldn’t see it, but her lips had stretched out to a wide smile.

After giving it a moment to kick in, Bela silently cleared her throat and gave [Y/N]’s hands a soft squeeze. “I don’t know how else to ask without it sounding desperate, so I suppose I should just ask right out. Do you feel the same way about me?”

Once again, [Y/N] giggled. “I don’t think it sounds desperate at all. I figured my feelings would’ve been obvious though.” She finally lifted her head enough to gaze into Bela’s eyes like she always did, though there was pure admiration in her steady stare.

“Yes, I love you too, Bela.”

Bela’s breath hitched, tears finally springing free from her eyes. Just as it had yesterday, her heart hammered against her ribs and began to throb. As she let out a small sob, [Y/N] stepped even closer, her soft, warm arms wrapping themselves around her torso and pulling her into a comforting hug. Bela couldn’t help but return the embrace tightly, the desperation she had been showing withering away, showing that her patience had paid off.

“I love you so much,” was all she could whisper before letting the rest of her built up tears fall. “I love you too, Bela. I really do.”

The two stood there, rocking each other back and forth for what felt like hours before they finally pulled back. [Y/N]’s arm slid down to let her offer her hand to hold. Still smiling as widely as before, Bela took her hand into her own, almost whimpering as their fingers interlaced with one another. With a small laugh, [Y/N] tugged her away from the garden and up to the parlor’s entrance, where they both pushed the doors open and headed inside.

Just as she had imagined, Daniela and Cassandra were quick to greet the two. Daniela was bouncing up and down excitedly as she asked all kinds of questions, while Cassandra could only stand there with a proud grin on her lips. She patted Bela on the shoulder while [Y/N] was distracted trying to answer all of the questions the youngest sister had. “I’m proud of you. You didn’t back down this time. And it seems like it paid off, huh?”

Bela glanced over at [Y/N], who was smiling wide enough for her nose to scrunch up, the blush evident on her features as she laughed. Her brows were furrowed slightly, just like they had done the day before. The blonde hummed and beamed just as brightly, turning back to Cassandra.

“Yeah, it really did.”