HAPPY ENDING | svt ✓

⁷⁷ : past

for the first time in ages, hoshi felt as though his mind had gone silent.

as he sat in the middle of the field, he looked around him and wondered about whether or not he had been missing out on all these wonders just because of the voices that constantly yelled in his head and made it impossible to focus on anything else.

the sky above him was blue, an almost picture perfect example of clear skies while the trees around him were shrouded with a golden dust that made it seem as though he were in a fairytale. slowly, he lifted his hands and ran them through the silky grass, little specks of pink and silver flying past him and staining his fingers with their shimmering colours.

a small smile formed on his face — he had never felt so at peace before.

his life had been turned upside down the second he got the role of the mad hatter. everyday was filled with nonsense that not even he could even fathom and watching the people around him slowly leave him for that very reason did a lot more damage than he let on.

but now, in this picturesque dreamscape, it felt as though he could simply be.

he didn't need to think about others. he didn't need to think about his fate. he didn't need to think about anything.

he took a deep breath, the faint scent of vanilla and cinnamon making him smile even more.

after a while, he picked himself up and started walking towards a village surrounded by colourful plants and decorations, the checkered path appearing before him little by little with every step he took.

everything was perfect in his eyes.

without a second thought, he walked through the gates of the place he had only seen in pictures. a myriad of colours greeted him and the sweet scent only got stronger and stronger the further down the wonderland he went.

it was all so peaceful that hoshi couldn't help but take solace in the fact that maybe, just maybe, his fairytale wouldn't have been so bad after all.

but as he continued leisurely walking around the village, a creeping suspicion dawned on him that he was being watched, the hairs on the back of his neck constantly spiking up as though someone was blowing air right behind him.

after his second round around the same few buildings, the uneasy feeling in his stomach started to gurgle, the silence he found to be a blessing slowly turning into a nightmare.

"where is everyone?" he kept walking and walking until he felt something grab him from behind and hide him in the shadows, covering his mouth and stopping him from yelling.

"you don't look like you're from here," the voice said, hand still covering hoshis' mouth.

before hoshi could even fight back, he heard footsteps coming from the main pathway and soon saw card soldiers marching about doing their rounds, weapons at hand and eyes constantly narrowed as if to scan every nook and cranny for anyone that could displease the queen of hearts.

"listen, i can save you but you'll have to pay a price. what do you say?" thinking that he had no other choice, hoshi nodded and before he knew it, he was infront of a large tree, numerous woodland creatures running away from him along with a few residents that had probably fled from the village.

"thank yo-" when he turned around to thank whoever had saved him, his heart sank as his eyes immediately watered at the sight. "mom?"

the woman smiled from ear to ear as she approached him and gave his head a pat. "i think you've got the wrong person dear," she said, hoshi feeling an overwhelming wave of emotions flooding over him.