Scarred

Scarred

[Arcane] Jinx x Fem! Reader

Word count: 1.9k

Content Warnings: Cursing, mentions of guns/gunfire, blood, fatal wounds, brief mentions of past trauma, death

[A/N]: This was heavily inspired by another post I read somewhere, but I’m not sure which site it was on. If I find it again, I’ll definitely leave a link! I did add my own twist, so it’s not the same thing, but the general idea is shared.

Enjoy!

“Piss off, you douchebags! I don’t have time to deal with you!” None of this was supposed to happen. [Y/N] wasn’t even supposed to be on this mission with Jinx, but she was, and now they were separated. No matter where she looked, Jinx just couldn’t seem to find her anywhere. She had to be around here somewhere, right? There’s no way she got that far from her. Each time she turned a corner, there were more thugs waiting to pick a fight, never once answering her when she asked where the [h/c] girl was. It was causing her anxiety to spike more and more. If she didn’t find her soon, she’d end up killing everyone in sight, which ran the risk of killing her beloved as well. Just as she finished taking down a small group of men with her shock pistol, a scream rang out–one that she recognized instantly.

“[Y/N]? [Y/N], where are you?!” She looked around, only having the sound reverberate long enough to get the general direction. “[Y/N]!” She took a few steps towards the cross-section of two buildings. Was it from the left or right? Thankfully, another scream sounded out from her left, seemingly from the fifth or sixth floor of the building closest to her. “Jinx, help! Please!” Her heart raced in her chest as she bolted as fast as she could up the stairs and into the room she could hear movement in. A group of around fifteen thugs surrounded someone on the floor, and as she realized who was on the ground, Jinx’s heart dropped. She froze momentarily. She wanted to doubt herself, hoping that it was someone else in front of the crowd. But a small glimpse of [h/c] locks and fearful [e/c] eyes confirmed her worst nightmare. “[Y/N]! GET AWAY FROM HER!” She pushed her shock pistol back into its holster before pulling her minigun out from behind her.

She made sure to aim higher than where [Y/N] was resting before firing, not wanting to accidentally hit the girl. Bullets rang out at a rapid speed, each one causing a member of the thugs to drop like flies. She cried out angrily until realizing everyone standing was dead. Taking a shaky breath to ground herself into reality, she lowered the barrel of her gun and panted heavily. Slowly, her gaze dropped down to find [Y/N]. Once again, her racing heart skipped a beat upon seeing her state. She ran over after tossing her gun to the side. Without taking her wounds into account, Jinx cradled [Y/N]’s head against her chest and let out a sigh. “I-I’m so glad you’re alive, toots. I-I thought–I thought…” She finally looked down.

Her pained smile faltered and quickly fell. The love of her life, still cradled in her arms, was in so much pain. A deep cut had been made from the top of her left collarbone all the way down to her right breast. Multiple stab wounds scattered themselves around the girl’s abdomen, each one seemingly worse than the last. Because of all of the wounds on her torso, [Y/N] had blood dripping down from her nose and lips to her chin, where it dripped off even more into a small stain on both the floor and Jinx’s shirt. Still, even in her state of distressing pain, [Y/N] was smiling. She lifted her hand shakily and brought it up to Jinx’s face to cup it. “Y-You’re…here.” Jinx quickly grasped the girl’s hand in her own as she softly shushed her.

“Hey, d-don’t talk right now, okay? Y-You need to save your strength. I can’t lose you.” [Y/N] chuckled, which quickly shifted into fits of coughing up blood. Jinx could only watch in horror. Finally, when she calmed down, the wounded girl leaned back into Jinx’s chest and smiled. “I’m not…going to make it, Jinx.” Both of them felt then, at those words, just how cold the room had become, and–more importantly–how warm the other girl was. God, how badly Jinx wanted to preserve that feeling. She never wanted to wake up without feeling that warmth next to her–cradled into her chest the way she was now.

And what a horrid way to go. So many wounds, all of which were likely fatal. Sure, Jinx had known pain in her life, but nothing like what [Y/N] was going through. If only she could take away that pain. She had always sworn she would do whatever she could in her power to ensure [Y/N] was happy and healthy. She certainly didn’t want things to end up this way. But here she was, supporting the girl’s weight against her own as she bled out, the light slowly beginning to dim in her eyes. That beautiful light that she had always adored. It always seemed to shine brightest when she looked at Jinx, or even when her name was just mentioned. Jinx chuckled dejectedly. [Y/N] had always seen her in such a positive light. She could never understand how, but she sort of understood because she felt the same way.

Jinx gently laid [Y/N] back down onto the ground, earning a hiss of pain. “I know, toots, I know. But I need to start treating these wounds before it’s too late.” “Jinx, it’s already–” “Don’t say it’s too late. I-I can fix this! You just need to trust me, okay? I promise I’ll fix this.” Ignoring the desperate tugs on her shirt (and the voices telling her she messed everything up), Jinx ripped the bottom part of the leg of her pants off to form a makeshift bandage. She tied it around the girl’s waist, cursing under her breath when she realized the cloth wasn’t long enough. She thought about using her belt for a moment to cut off the bleeding, but then remembered that it’s not safe to use a tourniquet of any kind on the torso. “Damn it!” She rolled the cloth into a tight ball before placing it over one of the deeper wounds on [Y/N]’s stomach and applying as much pressure as possible in an attempt to stop some of the bleeding.

[Y/N] groaned out in pain again, drawing another apology from Jinx’s lips. She stayed there for a moment. As she held the cloth in place, she thought about other ways she could treat her wounds. And, as much as she tried to dismiss the thought, she did–for a moment–consider experimenting with Shimmer. She was terrified at the thought of how badly [Y/N]’s body might react to it, but even more so at the thought of losing her completely. Silco would have to understand. Anything to keep her alive.

Drawn out of her thoughts by another round of coughing, Jinx finally glared back over at [Y/N], who looked even more disheveled than before. Her face was devoid of any color. Skin clammy and cold, shivers coursing through her body. Panicked, Jinx dropped the cloth and moved back over to hold the girl’s head against her chest again. “Shh, hey, hey…listen, toots. Can you–can you hear me?” The smallest nod of her head gave Jinx a slight sense of hope. “You can’t die on me. You just can’t, okay? You gotta keep living for me. I-I can’t lose you. You’re too damn important to me. We gotta keep going so we can get married and rule the undercity together, remember? Y-You know I can’t keep living without you. Just…just keep your eyes open until we can get help, alright? That’s all you gotta do. Keep breathing, and don’t go to sleep.”

A sad chuckle passed weakly through [Y/N]’s lips. “Can I…be honest with you, Jinx?” Jinx forced a smile as convincingly as she could. “Of course, sweets. You know I always want you to be honest with me.” [Y/N] smiled, but Jinx quickly frowned again as tears poured down the [h/c] girl’s cheeks like rivers. “I’m…I’m scared, Jinx. I’m so scared. I don’t–” She coughed again–harder this time. “I don’t want to die. Not…not like this.” With each passing word, Jinx’s heart was shattering into more and more pieces. “No, toots, you’re not going to die. I promise.” Again, [Y/N] shook her head. “Yes, I am.” “No, you–you can’t. I won’t let you.” “Jinx, I’m…I’m going to die.” She quieted her voice to speak with less strain. “We both know it.” Jinx shook her head harshly, pulling [Y/N]’s head further against her.

The girl, now barely hanging on by a thread, could hear her lover’s heartbeat racing faster than ever before. They stayed there as sobs racked through Jinx’s body. She trembled and jolted as she continuously begged and pleaded for [Y/N] not to leave her. Finally, [Y/N] gripped her shirt to gain her attention. Terrified that she’d see the light leaving her eyes, Jinx hesitated before looking down. [Y/N] still had that smile–the one she fell in love with all those years ago. “I don’t want to be alone, Jinx,” she whispered as her own tears began to flow. That fear–oh, that fear in her eyes–Jinx wanted to crush it. If she had to go, she didn’t want her to be afraid. But what could she say that would make this more comforting? She couldn’t say the pain would go away because it clearly wouldn’t. And she couldn’t promise an afterlife because no one knew for sure if that even existed.

She thought of all she could possibly say before finally whispering a soft, “You’re not alone, toots. I’m here, okay? I’m right here.” She leaned down and pressed her forehead against [Y/N]’s as gently as she could. “You’re not alone.” [Y/N]’s smile grew for a moment as they stayed there. When Jinx pulled back, however, that smile was gone, and her eyes were now closed. Jinx’s heart stopped this time. “[Y/N]...?” She shook her gently. “[Y/N], hey, no. [Y/N], please wake up. Please…? I-I can’t…please don’t leave me. Stay with me. I can’t lose you, dammit! Come back to me!” A few more violent shakes with no response finally grounded Jinx into reality. [Y/N] was really gone.

She clutched the girl’s head and shoulders and drove them even further against her–as close as she physically could–as she let out a scream of agony and sorrow. She heaved with every sob as she rocked back and forth. Her hands shook violently as she brought them down after several moments to cradle [Y/N]’s pale, lifeless face in them. This couldn’t be reality. She had already lost so much at such a young age–she didn’t deserve to experience this all over again! She was supposed to live out a happy life with [Y/N] and find ways to cope with her trauma in a healthy way. But now it was all in vain. Without [Y/N] by her side, she’d never be able to stay sane again–even with Silco there to support her. Could she have prevented this?

Of course she could’ve–she told herself. If she had found the girl sooner, she wouldn’t have been attacked. Or if she had just never let them get separated, she would’ve been able to keep a better eye on her. Or–better yet–if [Y/N] had just never come on this mission with her at all, there never would’ve been a risk.

But of course–she knew–there always would’ve been a risk. After all, [Y/N] was the lover of the most feared and hated girl in the undercity. This meant, in turn, she was also hated and feared. It was almost destiny.

Shielded Dedication

[Resident Evil: Village] Bela Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of torture and death, soft angst, past trauma (based on the first part of this short series), and anxiety.

[A/N]: Here's Bela's part for the continuation of Shielded! I'm working on the stories for Cassandra and Daniela, so expect those sometime soon!

Enjoy!

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Sharp, repeated pains shot their way through [Y/N]’s skull, prompting her to clench her jaw and grind her teeth together. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh, her eyes screwed tightly shut. “We’re running out of maids, Cass! We can’t keep killing them for any little inconvenience!” Daniela shouted as she stepped forward to look her sister in the eyes. “We can get more! It’s not like any of them matter anyway!”

Cassandra seemed to regret her words immediately after yelling them. Her gaze had flickered over to a maid–[Y/N]--and remembered all the girl had done for her and her family. She had saved them two weeks prior from an intruder, killing off the man and bringing them to safety. She had provided warmth and blood for them to heal and regain their strength.

“Cassandra, please,” her mother warned. Her expression mirrored [Y/N]’s as she sighed. “We need to avoid punishing these maids too severely, as your sister said. There aren’t many left, and the women still left in the village are far too young or ill. Take her down to the cellars and carry out a reasonable punishment. If she’s found dead, you will never hear the end of it from me.” Cassandra parted her lips to retort something, but bit back her response with a groan. “Yes, mother,” she murmured in a much softer tone. “Daniela,” the matriarch added just as the youngest daughter began to taunt her older sister. The redhead straightened up, ignoring Cassandra, who stuck her tongue out at her and grabbed the maid nearby by the wrist. “Go with her to ensure she doesn’t take things too far, will you?” “Of course, mother.” Alcina smiled warmly at her and watched as the two pulled the maid out of the room and into the kitchen. Faintly, she heard the two beginning to bicker in hushed voices, even as they walked further away.

She turned, expecting to find her eldest daughter waiting patiently in her seat, but instead found herself alone at the table. She glanced around, eventually turning to another maid who stood anxiously by the door to the courtyard. “Did you happen to see where Bela went?” After the events that took place two weeks beforehand, Alcina grew anxious when any of her daughters disappeared without letting her know where they were headed. “I-I saw her follow [Y/N] out of the room, but I’m not sure where the two of them went. I apologize, my lady,” she said with a bow of her head. A soft sigh slipped past Alcina’s lips. “It’s alright. As long as they are together, I’m sure they’ll be fine. They seem to do a fantastic job at defending each other.”

//////////

Bela had left the room relatively quickly once she realized her family was distracted. She saw [Y/N] slip through the main doors to the dining room after hissing in pain, sparking a sense of concern which she had never felt for another person before–especially a maid. She waited a moment before swarming out of the room and following [Y/N]’s scent all the way to a hallway she often found the girl wandering in. She shifted into her solid form right before turning around a corner, allowing her to peer out from behind it and watch as an expression she adored crossed over [Y/N]’s features. This hallway held the majority of her mother’s paintings, all of which seemed to fascinate anyone who stumbled across them. But with [Y/N], it seemed to Bela that she took more interest in the pieces than any of the other maids.

She always wore a smile as her gentle gaze studied the brushstrokes and smaller details that even Bela herself had never noticed before. The blonde couldn’t help the smile that made its way across her own lips. She sucked in a deep breath, glancing down at herself to smooth out her dress and cloak, trying her best to stall for time to steel her nerves.

Softly, Bela stepped forward and strolled over to stand beside [Y/N]. She cleared her throat quietly. Her gaze flickered to the girl’s face before locking into a random spot on the canvas in front of them. “It’s extraordinary, isn’t it?” Startled by the sudden voice, [Y/N] jumped rather visibly and twirled her head to face her. “O-Oh, I’m…” She cleared her throat. “I apologize, Lady Bela, I didn’t know you were here. I figured I was alone.” Bela smiled kindly at her. “You’re quite alright, [Y/N]. I suppose I did sort of sneak up on you. I just wanted to see if you’re okay. You left the dining room in quite a hurry after all,” she explained.

“Ah, well, I promise I’m alright.” [Y/N] scratched the back of her neck with an anxious giggle, turning back to the painting to avoid eye contact. “I’ve just got a bit of a headache is all.” Bela tilted her head, her words laced with concern. “Headache? Are you falling ill?” Her question was answered with a dismissive wave of [Y/N]’s hand. “No, no, I’m alright. I just got overwhelmed with all of the noise. Plus,” she bit her tongue to stop herself from continuing. An anxious look crossed her face and she cleared her throat. “Never mind.” Bela raised a brow.

“I’m assuming your headache is also caused by my sisters and I constantly trailing after you since what happened a couple of weeks ago?”

“Ah, no, I–!”

Bela chuckled. “It’s alright, you don’t have to lie.” [Y/N] studied her gaze, terrified she might find some sign of a lie, but sighed in relief when she found none. “Well, I wouldn’t say it was a cause, but it certainly didn’t help, if I’m being honest.” The blonde delicately placed her hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “I figured as much. I apologize for not doing a better job at giving you space of your own. I’ve never seen them so attached to someone before–not even our mother.”

“And I’m sure they haven’t ever barged into a maid’s bedroom asking to bundle up together before?” They both laughed quietly together as Bela shook her head. “No, of course not. I believe I can say I was just as surprised as you were to see them try that,” she responded. They shared another smile, and while [Y/N] turned back to stare absentmindedly at the painting only a few feet in front of her, Bela continued to stare, getting lost in her thoughts as she fought with herself on whether or not she should ask the question that had been burning on her tongue for over a week now.

Feeling the eldest daughter’s soft gaze still on her, [Y/N]’s attention was brought back to the woman beside her. “Are you alright?” Bela blinked, surprised to find herself zoning out. “Oh, yes, I’m fine! S-Sorry, I just…” she trailed off and fumbled with her own hands after hiding them behind her torso. “I’ve been—I want to—there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I’m afraid you’ll find me too clingy or desperately annoying.”

“Bela, I could never think of you that way. As I said before, you and your family mean the world to me. I’ll do anything and everything I can to protect you all and make you happy. Please don’t feel ashamed to ask me something.”

Bela was taken aback by her words. She hadn’t expected to ever find someone so kind and selfless in her lifetime. It felt nice to be seen and welcomed and understood by someone aside from herself. That was what had drawn her to this girl in the first place: she always put others’ needs before her own, and she knew it was wrong to do so at times, but she understood because she did the same for her family. Her nerves calmed, allowing her to breathe normally and smile. “Well, I’m sure by now you know my sisters and I all crave a source of warmth, especially considering our only weakness is the frigid air.” [Y/N] beamed, nodding to show she was listening intently.

“Ever since you saved us that day and let us huddle up against you to warm up again–to let us rest and regain our strength–I’ve been finding it…very difficult to sleep soundly. My bed and its covers provide enough warmth to keep me content, but they aren’t warm enough to lull me into sleep the way you did. I-I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You really do bring me a sense of comfort that I’ve never experienced before, and I…

“I want to ask if we could possibly do that again? Without my sisters?” Once she processed her words, her face flustered and she began to ramble. “Oh god, that’s not how I meant for that to come across at all–I apologize! I-I just meant could we sleep together,” another gasp fell from her lips, cutting her off. “N-No, that’s not what I meant either!”

She groaned and planted her red face in her palms when [Y/N] began to giggle at her stuttering. She sighed and felt her shoulders droop in defeat. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make this so awkward. I had this all planned out. I wrote a letter and everything to avoid this.” [Y/N] laughed again, though she gently laid her hand on Bela’s arm. “You don’t have to apologize, hun. I won’t lie to you—that is an awkward question to try to phrase. I’m sure I wouldn’t have done any better.” Bela blushed at the nickname, but grinned at the reassurance. She rubbed her arm anxiously once [Y/N]’s hand fell back to her side.

“So, what do you say?” [Y/N] hummed in thought, staring off into space like she did when she examined Alcina’s portraits. “I don’t know. What if your sisters or your mother find us? Won’t they be upset? I mean, they’d be for completely different reasons, but I still don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.” Bela felt herself internally swooning again at the girl’s selflessness.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. My mother knows not to come into my room without permission, and even though my sisters aren’t the same, I don’t see why they’d come up. I’m usually the first to wake up each morning, so I get them up for breakfast.” [Y/N] smiled at her, and Bela wished she could kiss her right then and there. She knew, however, that she had to take things slow. If tonight went well, then she could work up the courage to confess her feelings. She failed to notice that what she was asking to do was considered more intimate than simply sharing words of pure admiration, even with how intelligent others deemed her to be. She was blissfully oblivious to how love worked–that’s something her youngest sister Daniela was more experienced with.

Her attention was brought back to the present as [Y/N] tilted her head and tapped her shoulder. She blinked, irritated with herself for losing focus so quickly when she was the one who initiated the conversation. “Are you alright?” Bela nodded. “Yes!” Her face went red and she cleared her throat, waving her hands anxiously. “Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to raise my voice or zone out like that,” she stammered out as she mentally slapped herself. She was worried that [Y/N] would make fun of her or think she was annoying, but instead, the girl laughed softly. Bela looked back over at her with a surprised expression. Something in the back of her mind was screaming at her to stop talking because she had already caused enough of a scene. “Sorry, Bela, I’ve just never seen you like this before.”

The noble woman’s ears perked up a bit. Her eyebrows furrowed together slightly in concern. “Is that a bad thing? I’m–I’m not annoying you, am I?” [Y/N] giggled again and shook her head. “Oh, no, not at all! It’s nice to see that side of you. It makes you seem more human.” Bela found herself smiling sheepishly. “Oh, well…I’m glad.” The two women gazed comfortably at each other for a moment, though it was short-lived. A look of pure panic crossed over [Y/N]’s features, and oh, how desperately Bela hated seeing her like that.

“Oh, I just realized I called you Bela! Have I been doing that every time? I’m so sorry for stepping out of line, my lady!” She lowered her head. Bela, though [Y/N] couldn’t see it, was hurt. Why should calling her by her name be so upsetting? Did she feel like she was obligated to do as she said merely because of her status? Bela felt herself fighting back her guilt and tears. She stepped forward, her thumb and index finger coming down to gently hook themselves under [Y/N]’s chin. She tilted her head up to look her in the eye. “Darling, I can promise you, it doesn’t bother me. Please don’t worry about formality. You can call me Bela, okay? I won’t get upset. I mean, I’m asking you to stay with me tonight for god’s sake. If I still expected you to call me by my titles, then I wouldn’t be so kind to you. You’d join the other maids in my sisters’ endless and torturous games.”

Bela then cupped her face and tugged gently enough to wordlessly ask [Y/N] to stand up properly. “You are so special to me. And not just to me for that matter–all of House Dimitrescu adores you. I can’t speak for my sisters, but I want you to drop the formality towards me. Aside from status, you are in no way inferior to me–not in importance, not in value or worth, and not in your right to be your own being. If it helps you feel any more comfortable with me, I want you to know that I actually see you as being–” she paused, a groan escaping her lips. “Ah, what did Dani describe it as when I spoke to her about this?” She wracked her brain. Her eyes visibly lit up when it clicked.

“Out of my league! That’s what it was.” She finally came to the end of her speech and fixed her gaze on [Y/N]’s. The girl still held a mix of emotions in her eyes, the same eyes that Bela had fallen so in love with, and the eldest Dimitrescu daughter was relieved to find that fear wasn’t one of them. Hoping to lighten the mood, Bela came up with a quick question. “Uh, by the way,” she started, forcing herself to look anxious. “Is that, like, something people normally say? Is it a sports thing or something? I never really know whether to take Dani’s love advice or not after reading some of the stories she reads.”

[Y/N] blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change of tone and subject. She laughed softly as Bela had hoped, allowing Bela to smile triumphantly. “No, it’s not a sports thing, but it is something people say as a form of endearment. Lady Daniela was right about that part,” [Y/N] replied, her tensed muscles relaxing. Her change in demeanor was immediately noticeable. She felt comfortable again as the casual atmosphere from before had resurfaced.

She rubbed her forearm and averted her gaze to the side. “Do you really view me as being “out of your league?”” Her gaze flew back to Bela and stared expectantly. Bela beamed warmly and nodded. “Of course I do. And I meant what I said when I want you to drop the titles. Just call me Bela, alright?” [Y/N] mirrored her smile. The movement of her nodding her head forced Bela to realize that she was still cradling the girl’s face in her hands. They flew back, driving themselves to the woman’s cloak to pick at the hem. “Ah, sorry about that!”

Even though she had told [Y/N] mere moments ago that she wanted her to be comfortable around her and be viewed as her equal, Bela couldn’t help but feel on-edge herself at how close they were. She chuckled uneasily and finally managed to force herself to glance back at the girl in front of her. “Actually,” [Y/N] started. She stepped forward and delicately took Bela’s hands into her own. She brought them up to return to where they were before. “I don’t mind. It felt really nice.” Bela felt her voice hitch in her throat. Other than when she had clung to her for warmth after the attack, Bela had never figured she’d be able to be so close to [Y/N]. It made her heart hammer against her ribs, which only worsened once she remembered the two of them were likely going to share the same bed in a short amount of time.

[Y/N] certainly didn’t help the foreign feeling as she leaned into Bela’s palms and closed her eyes. Had anyone come by at that very moment, they would’ve seen just how red the cold, stone-faced, sophisticated daughter’s face had gotten. The crimson blush flustered itself all the way up to her ears. This girl made her go weak in the knees. She had always imagined she’d despise the feeling, but after realizing her feelings, Bela couldn’t be happier to feel so smitten.

She felt herself falling harder for the girl each time she even crossed her mind. Around [Y/N], Bela never felt as though she had to be proper and hard on herself all the time. It was never hard for her to find comfort in [Y/N]’s presence and finally give herself a break she knew she deserved.

Finally, after taking a moment to regain her composure and clear her throat, Bela spoke up again. “So,” her voice cracked. She cleared her throat more aggressively and followed it up with a hum to ensure it wouldn’t break again. “Shall we–ah, I don’t want to phrase it horribly again. Should we–” “Retire for the night?” Too worried she’d say the wrong thing again, Bela simply nodded. [Y/N] giggled, bringing another smile to the blonde’s face, and nodded. “Yes, that sounds great right now. My head is still killing me.” “I won’t let it kill you. I’ll fight it off until it leaves you alone, even if it’s to the death.” “Bela, hun, it’s just a headache.” They laughed together softly. After a few moments passed, [Y/N] tugged on Bela’s hands and led them down to wrap themselves around her waist. Bela stiffened. [Y/N] placed her hands on the taller woman’s shoulders, closing her eyes and letting her forehead rest against her own.

“I know what you were trying to say though. I think it’s sweet.” Bela felt herself relax after a moment of processing. She couldn’t bite back the smile that made its way to her lips. She leaned into [Y/N] and the embrace, closing her eyes as well and allowing herself to focus on her senses: the sound of the light breathing they shared, combined with their heartbeats, the smell of [Y/N]’s scent, and the feeling of being held by the one she cherishes most. [Y/N]’s skin felt like clouds beneath Bela’s fingertips. The warmth radiating from [Y/N]’s body lulled her into a state of bliss that she had felt each time she had the chance to hug the girl.

Oh, how she wanted this feeling to last forever. She promised herself that she would find a way to gather her confidence and confess how she felt in an attempt to secure this feeling.

“Bela?” Her eyes shot open to find [Y/N] gazing up at her tiredly. “Are you ready to head up for bed?” She smiled yet again, realizing, as she steadied the two of them, that they had been swaying. “Yeah, I am.” She leaned forward and fully hugged [Y/N], squeezing her tight before leaning back. “But you look exhausted, and I don’t want you to have to climb up the stairs. I don’t want my sisters to bother us either, so–” She leaned back even further before crouching down swiftly. Her left arm hooked itself behind [Y/N]’s knees and pushed them forward, allowing her other arm to catch her. She swept her up off of her feet and tossed her up high enough to carry her in her arms.

[Y/N] yelped at the sudden motion. Her arms flew up in a panic to wrap themselves around Bela’s shoulders, desperate to stop herself from falling. She looked up at the woman now holding her and blushed as Bela laughed softly at her expression. “I’ll just fly us up there, alright?” [Y/N] nodded, watching and listening as the lower half of Bela’s form dissolved into a swarm of flies. She whimpered as they began to rise off of the ground.

Bela squeezed her gently against her torso, prompting her to look up at the woman who was now inching forward. “Don’t worry. Like I said, I won’t let anything hurt you. You’re safe.”

After moving a bit further to gauge [Y/N]’s reaction, Bela picked up her speed hastily. Before the frightened girl could even take a moment to fear the action of flying through the air for the first time, the two of them had already made it up to the second floor. They continued down the seemingly endless hallways until they landed a few feet in front of Bela’s door. [Y/N] had figured she was going to be put down before entering the room, but she was proven wrong when Bela had opened the door and placed her down on the bed. She turned just long enough to close and lock the door before turning back to [Y/N]. “We should be fine. I just had to hurry so my sisters wouldn’t stop us and pester you.”

Still trying to comprehend the fact they were now all the way upstairs, [Y/N] could only nod with a bewildered expression on her face. Bela grinned nervously. “Ah, sorry. I forgot you haven’t moved that quickly before. I didn’t even ask if there was something you’d like to change into.” She flew herself over to her wardrobe and picked out two different outfits, hiding in the closet for a moment. She emerged with a pair of white silk pants on, accompanied by a dull crimson red tank top that had been readjusted into more of a crop-top or bra. She placed down a set of black cotton shorts and a gray long-sleeved shirt that was clearly going to be oversized on the girl.

“I don’t really have anything that’ll fit you, I apologize. I hope these will work. They’re the smallest ones I could find.” [Y/N] nodded and smiled. She picked up the clothes as she stood. “It’s alright. I think it’d be weird if you had clothes that would fit me, considering how much smaller I am compared to you.” Only a few feet away from the closet door, [Y/N] froze and quickly spun around on her heel. “That’s n-not what I meant! I’m sorry–I really hope that didn’t come across in the wrong way!”

Reminded of how she was just moments ago, Bela couldn’t help but find herself chuckling quietly. “No, it’s alright. I know what you meant, I promise.” A sigh of relief sounded from [Y/N], who then turned around again and momentarily disappeared into the closet. Bela blew out the candles that were lighting up the room and climbed into her bed. She snuggled up underneath her covers, being sure to be the one closest to the door. Flipping onto her back, she sighed and stared up at the ceiling, completely unaware of the smitten, dorky grin she had.

The thoughts and realizations already beginning to swarm her mind were short-lived, interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open, followed by the soft whisper of her name. “Bela?” She sat up. Her breath was taken away by the sight of [Y/N]’s soft skin being illuminated by the moonlight seeping in through the window.

Standing there bashfully, [Y/N] donned the pair of shorts that Bela had provided for her, though she wasn’t wearing the shirt. The blonde’s golden eyes spotted it tucked in the crook of her elbow. She had no shirt on, only wearing a bra, which revealed so much of the body that Bela was so desperate to hold. Unable to speak, she could only stare. “I-I couldn’t really wear the shirt. It was really uncomfortable since it kept slipping off of my shoulders. I hope you don’t mind if I sleep like this.”

When she was met with absolute silence, [Y/N] swallowed the lump in her throat and began to back away. “I-If it makes you uncomfortable, I can go change–” “No!” She jumped at the blunt volume. Bela seemed just as surprised with herself. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell! I just,” she rose from her bed and walked to stand in front of the smaller woman. “You look perfect like this. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.” Her hands found themselves picking at each other in front of her torso, itching to hold [Y/N]’s.

“You really think so?” “Of course I do. Then again, you look perfect in everything.” [Y/N] blushed. Her free hand trailed up to pick at the shirt tucked under her arm. “O-Oh, um…thank you,” she whispered almost inaudibly in response. Bela fought a war in her mind to find something to say to lower the tension, but was brought back to her senses as [Y/N] took her hand and tugged her over to the bed. She crawled onto her side–the side that had been left undisturbed–and slid under the covers. She stuffed the shirt underneath her pillow. “Could we go to bed? I’m exhausted.”

Bela grinned and nodded as she joined her. “Of course.”

Once the two of them were settled, the tension returned–for Bela, anyway. She readjusted herself so she could lie on her side and face [Y/N], whose back was facing her. She studied her for a moment, watching her breathe in and out. She wondered if she would ever have the luxury of getting to wake up to [Y/N]’s peaceful face. She often found herself fantasizing about seeing her features so tranquil, partially highlighted by the light of the morning sun to emphasize the parts of her that Bela adored most–her gentle eyes, perfect nose, soft lips that she ached to one day kiss–

“Are you alright?”

Bela jolted and felt her eyes shoot back up to focus her sight again. “Huh?” [Y/N] was now twisted in a way that let her glance back at Bela comfortably. “I felt like someone was watching me, so I looked around, but it was you staring at me. Is everything alright?” Embarrassment overwhelmed Bela. She internally scolded herself for losing focus yet again.

“Oh,” she began. “Yes, I’m alright. I just…have a question is all.” Piqued with interest, [Y/N] rolled over onto her other side so she fully faced the blushing woman beside her. “Oh? What is it?” She had known she was going to have to ask sooner or later, even though she had hoped her recollection of the night of the attack would get the question across without being so blunt, but Bela was still terrified that she’d ruin this moment by asking what she wanted to.

Not allowing a single moment for herself to back away in fear, Bela blurted out her question. She was thankful that her fatigue was helping her feel too tired to be as anxious as before.

“Could you hold me while we sleep?” [Y/N] was quick to smile. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest. “Of course. C’mere,” she whispered as she held out her arms. Bela instantly buried herself into [Y/N]’s chest. She tucked her arms between the two of their bodies and let her face nuzzle into the girl’s partially bare breasts. If she hadn’t been so numb from her exhaustion, [Y/N] would have found this embarrassing. Bela would have as well. The two of them didn’t mind, however, and instead found comfort in the close contact. [Y/N]’s arms wrapped themselves around the blonde. Her left hand slid up and began to stroke the soft blonde locks that were sprawled out across the pillow.

A low hum rumbled in the back of Bela’s throat and chest as she began to drift in and out of consciousness. As far back as she could remember, Bela had never felt this safe and comfortable before. It was heavenly to feel so secure.

The feeling of fingernails softly scratching her scalp and the spots behind her ears would have been enough to make Bela’s eyes roll into the back of her head if they had been open. She couldn’t quite explain why it felt so good, but she certainly didn’t have a problem with it. Somewhere deep inside of her, she had the hidden craving for physical affection. She wanted to be held and cherished, caressed and comforted. She longed for someone who would welcome her when she needed someone to lean on, someone who would remind her to take breaks and take care of herself when she was too busy buried up in paperwork to remember, someone who wouldn’t use her for her status, someone who wouldn’t find her clinginess an inconvenience. She wanted someone who could prove they were dedicated as much to her as she was to them.

Her eyes fluttered open as she pondered whether or not [Y/N] was that someone.

“By the way, I think you look perfect in everything as well. I meant to say it earlier, but I was worried I’d make you uncomfortable. You’re perfect in my eyes, inside and out, and I really do want you to know that. I love you, Bela.”

Her heart flipped as she beamed ear to ear. She closed her eyes again and wriggled her face further into [Y/N]’s soft, warm skin. [Y/N] was that someone, she was sure of that after reflecting on the past two weeks. It just needed to be confirmed by those three words she had been dreaming of hearing for centuries–the ones she wanted to utter in reply to the woman she loved most.

“I love you too.”

A Place to Go

[The Owl House] Amity Blight x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.02k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Yelling, crying, general angst, Odalia being Odalia, and talk of an unsafe home environment.

[A/N]: Here's story 1/3 for Amity!

P.S. the reader / [Y/N] / you essentially replace Luz in the story. It doesn't change how anything plays out, I just figured I should mention it to explain the relationship.

Enjoy!

“Amity, I don’t care about whatever it is you think is more important than your schoolwork, but this is unacceptable! You’re hardly trying anymore, for Titan’s sake. Are you trying to make me look bad?” Odalia sneered down at her youngest daughter, waving Amity’s report card in front of her face to show her recent grades. “Mom, I still have almost all A’s! I don’t see why that’s such a bad thing to you,” she hollered in return, glancing to the side to find Edric and Emira peering in anxiously from the doorway. “Almost isn’t good enough, dear. You know that. You’re doing so much worse than you ever have. I feel like you’re doing this intentionally,” came her mother’s retort.

Amity sighed and ran her hands down her face, already beginning to feel the anger boiling and bubbling up to the surface. “Mom, I’m not intentionally doing anything. I’ve just been…distracted is all.” Odalia scoffed and rolled her eyes. Her free hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “So I’ve noticed.” Her mother then grumbled something underneath her breath, glancing back over the sheet of paper in her hand before handing it over to one of the Abominations that stood in place of a servant. “Ever since that human came to the Isles, it seems you’ve been distracted every day. Honestly, I don’t see what interests you so much about her. She’s beneath us, Amity. You know that.”

The twins winced at the statement, watching as their younger sister tensed up and visibly grew irritated. They glanced at each other, silently wondering how they could step in without escalating the situation even further. “How dare you talk about her that way?” Amity yelled in return, stepping forward. “You know nothing about her! She’s actually the one who’s been listening to me and making me genuinely happy!” Odalia’s eyebrow perked up as she thought for a moment. She hummed with a knowing smirk.

“Is that so? So she’s the one who has been distracting you from your responsibilities? I suppose your father and I will just have to do something about her in that case.”

Amity’s body froze, her blood running cold as she stammered. “Y-You wouldn’t. You can’t! She’s all I have!” “All you have? Amity, have you forgotten all I’ve done for you? I gave you a name, a title, a reason for others to fear you. I gave you power and status! You’d be nothing without me, and you know it. [Y/N] is nothing but a pest who needs to be squashed. If that’s what it takes for you to return to normal, then so be it.”

Trembling harshly, Amity stepped back and tangled her hands together in an attempt to steady them and ground herself. “But…I don’t want to be feared,” she whispered. “I-I don’t want to have power and status if it means I can only use it for something bad.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and sucked in a shuttered breath. “[Y/N] treats me with the respect you never have,” she started again after a moment of silence, finally looking back up to her mother to look her in the eye as she forced her confidence once more.

“[Y/N] is a better person than you’ll ever be.”

Odalia gasped at that, her features contorting as she grew infuriated with her youngest daughter’s attempt to fight back. “Amity, you have no right to speak to me that way. And how would you even know that? It’s not like she means anything to you.”

“She means everything to me! She’s my girlfriend!”

Her hands came up to clasp themselves over her mouth as she gasped. She didn’t want to tell her mother about her relationship with [Y/N]--she knew she’d be disowned for being involved with someone her mother saw as inferior. Had she ruined everything? What if she had to break up with her? She let her gaze drop down to the floor. If that’s what she had to do to make sure [Y/N] was safe, she would, but she knew how painful it would be. There had to be a way to avoid her getting hurt.

“Girlfriend? Oh, no, Amity. You’re mistaken. You can’t date someone so far beneath us. We’ll find you a new girlfriend–one who’s better suited to be with you.” Amity’s jaw clenched, her teeth grinding painfully against each other as her arms dropped back down to her side. “And how do you know who would be suited to be my girlfriend? You don’t know what I need.” Odalia faked a laugh. “Oh, but I do, dear. You need someone who will benefit your place in the world. Someone who will better our reputation.”

Finally, Amity lunged forward and snatched her report card from the servant, glancing over it before holding it back up to show her mother. “If your reputation is all you care about, and you don’t care about me being happy, then I don’t want any part of it.” In a swift movement, she tore the paper in two, then let it fall to the ground beneath her feet. Her eyes never left her mother’s, however, which narrowed. They stared at each other for a moment, the tension in the air growing thicker with each passing second.

At length, Odalia sighed and crossed her arms. “Very well. I can always find a better replacement. Feel free to stay here if you’d like, but don’t bother taking any pride in your little stunt. Either way, [Y/N] will be punished for ruining your future.” Amity growled in frustration. “She didn’t ruin my future, she is my future! All you do is cause problems! I hate that I have to live here with you! You’re the only reason I don’t enjoy having the name Blight,” she hollered as loudly as she could, then spinning around on her heel to turn and storm off.

After she made it to the front parlor, she heard her mother start to bicker again. She picked up her pace quickly before sprinting out the door. She had no plan on where to go–she had never tried to run away before. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone found her and forced her to go back to living at the Blight Manor–she knew that–but she just wanted to get away for enough time to clear her head.

Tears blurred her vision, making it almost impossible to see where she was going as they spilled from her eyes in thick masses. She wiped furiously at her eyes, sniffling and hiccuping. The late hour certainly wasn’t helping: the sun hadn’t quite set all the way yet, but with every passing minute, the world around her grew darker.

In an attempt to calm herself down, she thought of where she could go. Her first thought was her hideout at the library, though that idea was quickly shut down. She knew that was one of the first places her family would look.

There had to be somewhere else she could go.

There was no way she was going to run to Boscha’s house, or any of her old friends for that matter. None of them would comfort her the way she needed. Her family would also look there anyway, so there was no point. In the midst of her thinking and weeping, she had sent a text through her scroll at some point, though she couldn’t quite make out whatever it was she had typed.

After several minutes of running in a random direction, Amity came to a halt, huffing and panting heavily as she hunched over to rest her hands on her knees. Her eyes closed, already growing weary from the tears that had barely dried while streaking against her face. Where could she go?

Where would her mother not look for a while?

Where could she go to feel understood and safe?

Her eyes shot open after a moment, her mind screaming at her feet to start moving again. She managed to pace herself in a light jog, eventually realizing it wouldn’t get her where she needed to be for a long while. She brought her hands up to cup the sides of her mouth as she hollered out. “Ghost! I need a ride,” she called out. Her palisman took a moment, but finally made it. Amity summoned her staff and quickly hopped on, flying off as quickly as possible.

She didn’t know how she hadn’t thought of it immediately: The Owl House was definitely a place she could go to whenever she needed, and unless her siblings ratted her out for it, Odalia would never think to even check that place for a while. She’d have at least a few days to recollect herself.

Another round of sniffles sounded from her as she mumbled where she wanted to go to Ghost, who flew even faster in that direction. It had only taken a few minutes for them to make it, though it felt like hours had passed to Amity. She hopped off of her staff and managed to run to the door, ignoring Hooty’s greetings and heading inside. Eda and King both asked what was going on, though all Amity could hear was ringing. Her body felt like it was going to collapse at any moment, and all she wanted to do was hold [Y/N] before that happened.

Racing up the stairs, Amity stumbled hurriedly to [Y/N]’s bedroom door, shoving it open and struggling to catch her balance as her eyes searched the room frantically. She sighed once her gaze met [Y/N]’s. A choked sob quickly forced its way through her lips as she walked forward and fell into the girl’s embrace. There were so many things on her mind that she wanted to talk about, but none of them came out coherently.

[Y/N] gently shushed her and told her to take her time. “Just breathe for me right now, okay?” Amity nodded and sniffled, squeezing [Y/N] in return as she struggled to steady her breath again. The feeling of her girlfriend’s arms around her torso was the only thing keeping her grounded to reality. That, and the sound of [Y/N] whispering soft words of reassurance beside her ear while she rocked her back and forth in a soothing manner.

Eventually, Amity managed to calm herself enough to start talking about what had happened. [Y/N] listened intently as she ranted, only speaking here and there to show that she was listening. After a good half hour of speaking, Amity crumbled into herself once the two of them sat on the bed. “I-I just don’t understand why her name is more important to her than her actual children. Why does she think her reputation matters more than me?”

[Y/N] could feel her heart shattering at her words. She pulled Amity into another hug. “I…I don’t know, Amity. I really don’t. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: every child deserves a parent who will love them and keep only their best interest in mind, but not every parent deserves a child, especially if they aren’t willing to put in the effort it takes to help them feel loved.” She leaned back to look Amity in the eye. Her hands came up to gently cup her face, and she could feel her heart throbbing again as the girl in front of her could only close her eyes and lean into the touch.

“You deserve so much more, Amity. You deserve everything you want. I hope one day your mom realizes that.” Amity hiccuped and began to cry again. Her head lowered, allowing her to bury her face in her hands. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry again.” Gently, [Y/N] lifted Amity’s head and moved her hands. She cupped her face once more before letting the pads of her thumbs stroke her face to wipe her tears away.

Another sniffle came from Amity before she opened her eyes. She glanced up at [Y/N] and smiled weakly. “No, it’s not you. I just…you have no idea how badly I’ve needed to hear someone who isn’t my family say that. Thank you.”

The two shared a smile. After a moment or two, [Y/N] leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Amity’s forehead before speaking. “You look exhausted. Why don’t we get some sleep? There’ll be plenty of time to figure things out in the morning, okay?” A small nod was her response. The two of them then shuffled around for a bit to get the room more comfortable. The lights were turned off, and multiple blankets and pillows were brought in to provide a larger sense of comfort.

They laid down on the floor, bundling up underneath the blankets and facing one another. [Y/N] grabbed ahold of Amity’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, whispering a few more words before letting her eyes flutter shut. Several moments passed, but Amity was struggling to fall asleep peacefully. Every time her eyes closed, she thought of what would possibly happen to [Y/N] if her mother ever got ahold of her.

After gathering a small amount of courage, she scooted forward towards [Y/N] and rested her head against the girl’s chest. [Y/N] tensed at the feeling, looking down at her. She never asked why she moved closer, almost instantly understanding what was happening. Amity finally managed to fall asleep after focusing on the sound of her girlfriend’s heart beating behind her ribs. She counted the beating until she crashed. Considering all that had happened that night, she managed to have a relatively decent dream, her mind finally processing that she was safe at the Owl House.

She wished she could call this place her home instead of Blight Manor.

Maybe she could talk to [Y/N] about it when they woke up. She knew her girlfriend would be on board with her living there for the time being, but she would also need to make sure that Eda and King would be okay with it as well.

She’d have to wait until she woke up the next morning.

“Alright, that’s all for today. Remember there’s an extra credit assignment that’ll be due next week if anyone chooses to do it.” After the teacher made final announcements for the day, the students in class began to pack their things back up. Amity smiled at the thought of going home. She gathered her belongings and waited patiently for the bell to go off. Her eyes shut as her palm supported the weight of her head, propping her arm up against the table as she remained in her seat.

“Hey, Amity! Think you could help us with the extra credit this weekend?” Skara suddenly quipped, making Amity jump and look over at her as she and Boscha made their way over. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she smiled. “Ah, no, sorry. I’m not gonna do it this time. I just want to stay home and relax for a while.” Boscha’s eyebrows raised before a look of confusion crossed her face. “You aren’t doing the extra credit?”

Amity’s eyes squinted a bit at her. “Why? Is that such a bad thing?” Her tone came across a little more aggressive than she intended, but she didn’t have a visible reaction to it. Boscha shrugged. “No, I just don’t remember the last time you skipped doing anything for extra credit. Can’t blame you though,” she waved her hand with an exasperated expression. “The assignments are always boring anyway.” Amity only hummed, not contributing to the conversation any further.

Finally, the bell screamed throughout each class, echoing down the hallways. Amity beamed brightly and stood up, ignoring the surprised and confused glances from the others as she rushed out the door.

She made her way out the main doors of Hexide, summoning Ghost at her side before flying off to the Owl House. She landed relatively swiftly before jogging inside, finding that [Y/N] had already made it home before her and set up her phone to binge watch the shows she had been begging Amity to try watching for weeks. Amity smiled wider and laughed, gently discarding her school supplies before joining her girlfriend on the sofa.

They bundled up together under the blankets that had been set out, snuggling against each other before [Y/N] started the show. Amity grinned as [Y/N] laughed at a joke here and there, sighing contentedly as she leaned further against her girlfriend. She didn’t entirely understand what was happening in the show–and she definitely didn’t get any of the references made–but she was enjoying it anyway.

Something about the way [Y/N] held her and talked so passionately about what was playing on her phone made Amity feel safe and wouldn’t let her stop smiling. She had never felt this happy at the Manor. And although she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay here forever, she was glad her mother agreed to let her live there until the Day of Unity, though she didn’t appreciate the way she had explained why she was allowing it.

She ignored that though, and instead found herself falling even more in love with [Y/N] than ever before. Being able to spend every day together meant they could do everything together: go on dates, walk around town, crack bad jokes about what had been happening at school. Eda treated her like her mother never did, always making sure she was taken care of and keeping her best interests in mind. And King, although it wasn’t much of a surprise, became like a younger sibling to Amity. Anytime she was feeling upset and [Y/N] wasn’t there to make her smile, King found a way to make her laugh.

She loved every part of it, and she loved [Y/N], the girl who saved her from her lowest point in life and welcomed her into her new home with loving arms.

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.

Pay Attention

[Resident Evil: Village] Daniela Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 7.05k

Proofread: Yes

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

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

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

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

Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“H-Huh?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How pathetic.

How selfish.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wh-Who is it?” She asked shakily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All of it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Only For You

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

Word Count: 4.4k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: (Slightly implied) Jealousy

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

Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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