Tam had been watching Glimmer. She was normally energetic, invasive, and kind. Today she was slumped in the dark of Linh's old room. Glimmer hated the dark.
Casually stretching his shadow over hers, Tam pretended to be reading the decoded files from the Neverseen storehouse. The same storehouse Glimmer had encouraged Sophie to set fire to.
"What's wrong?"
Glimmer fell forward, keeping herself from faceplanting with levitation.
"I could have had some warning," the girl thought to the shade.
"Warnings are overrated. What's wrong."
"Everything. Everything I've ever known is a hideous knot of secrets and lies." Tam turned towards Glimmer's voice, attentive.
"I guess you and Sophie have something in common then," he observed. Glimmer tilted her head, lush black locks falling from her hood.
"Your sister hates me. Nobody has ever hated me before." Glimmer clutched her cat statue tightly, shifting in place.
Tam stared on incredulously.
"I hated you," he stated.
Glimmer shook her head, more hair flowing down.
"You didn't hate me," she said softly. "You hated the situation."
In an odd way, she was right. At first Tam used her as a scapegoat for the Neverseen. The cause of him being seperated from Linh. It wasn't inherently Glimmer's fault.
"I guess I should rephrase. Nobody that matters has ever hated me. Linh matters to me because she matters to you. And even if you don't think so, I noticed you not contradicting me on her blatant dislike of me." It was Tam's turn to shake his head.
"She doesn't hate you. She hates what you stand for. She's blaming you for me not trying to come back, which is completely insane. Linh will get over it."
Glimmer's voice shook, her hand going up to wipe her eyes.
"You really think so," she asked tremulously. Tam nodded, glad they were done with this conversation. But they weren't. "Are you okay? With Linh being at Chloralmere?"
Tam didn't answer.
Glimmer walked over, sitting cross-legged in front of Tam, her back to him. She took off her hood, maneuvering light so her face was shielded, and untucked her braid.
"Unbraid my hair?"
Tam wordlessly worked slender fingers through her black locks, dividing strands as the braid unraveled, a silent proclamation of trust. She fell asleep, leaning back on Tam as she dreamt of flames, scrolls, and a door falling, of trolls and shadows and what-ifs.
What if?
Tam didn't try to get up. It was like having a cat on your lap, terrified to move lest you disrupt them. Yet he was also content with watching.
When a skull crushed in her nightmare, she curled up tighter, cat statue clutched at her heart.
( Platonic or romantic- it's up for interpretation. )
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How Did We Get Into This Mess - KOTLC Oneshots
FanfictionA COLLECTION OF ❤KOTLC❤ONESHOTS! Fair warning, I started this in 2018. The writing gets better at the end of the sokeefe section, but my bar is miles high. Remember to vote, comment, and request! It helps more than you think.
