PHOENIX. [sequel to 067]

08. the silent treatment.

you weren't human. those words that dottore had admitted to you, just a few moments ago, lingered in your mind. along with a few words that dottore spoke that seemed to contradict themselves -
"i gave you the first dosage."
yet, clones died because of it?

it's just .. an odd situation, that you don't want to bother dealing with. you assume the story of what he told you was true, with how bare it was and how he responded so surely, just .. the clones. the details about you not being human and the dosages were just thrown around like nothing to him.

  "...but you said at the-" you started, having decided to question him on the issue.

  "i lied. i lied to the goddess, get over it, darling," he cuts you off quickly. his attention had left you a little bit ago to focus on the papers before him.

he acts as if lying to ... a goddess meant nothing. or was he lying to you? your eyes squint, slightly, at the words leaving his mouth a small "huh" passes through your lips.

  "why?" you ask him.

  "none of your concern," he responds quickly. his tone .. sounds similar to how he treated the tsaritsa just a few moments earlier.

"dottore." your voice had gone stern as you spoke, causing his attention to shift onto you once more. maybe he isn't used to talking back to him, maybe your previous self had .. been more submissive for whatever reason, but you're not the type to be walked all over on. something horrible would've had to happen to you, to your brain, for you to ever allow someone to speak to you like this.

"what, darling?" he spits out as he places down his pen. his head rests on his palm as his eyes stare into yours. you can't quite make out how he's looking at you, yet, his tone makes it seem as if he's angry or annoyed with you. for whatever reason, you just asked him a simple question.

"why would you lie to a goddess?" you ask him again, speaking slowly in hopes that maybe this time he'd understand you.

"why not? not everything i do is her business and neither is it yours, sweet boy."

  "she's a goddess and it's about me, it's my business."

  "you have a lot of attitude for someone who wouldn't be here without me, y/n."

wouldn't be here without you? if what he told you was true, which you have your doubts about now, then you would've made it this far without him. he wasn't the reason for anything, for any good thing you've done - probably. you .. aren't quite sure of what you've done, in all honesty. but just something about what he said irked you.

  "i would have, actually. you didn't do shit."

  "do you remember anything? your own childhood, perhaps?" he questions you as he gets up from his chair, making small steps towards you. he hums as he doesn't get a verbal response, as of course you didn't remember, and his hand grips onto your chin, "you don't know anything beyond what i said, y/n.  maybe you should watch your mouth, hm?"

  "watch my mouth? you lied to a whole goddess, for what reason?" you question him as your voice raises slightly. a dark blush crept its way onto your cheeks as he held up your face and how you could feel his warm breath against your skin.

his eyes glance down at your rosy cheeks as his grip on your jaw tightens ever so slightly. his thumb presses itself on the underside of your chin as he sighs, "oh, darling, you're getting on my nerves. must i say?"

he asks you, bringing his face closer towards yours.

  "yes, you 'must'."

  "if i had told her, then she'd know i have favorites. i'd rather he not be aware of that little truth, my darling," he speaks as he presses his lips to yours.

only for you to jerk away from his touch. sure, the way he grabbed your chin was attractive and so was the way he spoke to you, but you don't know him. he pulls away from you, having seen your reaction, and a small "huh" leaves his lips as he looks down at you. it's as if you've never rejected his advances with you, before.

  "darling. what was that for?" he asks you as he pulls his hand away from your face entirely.

"i don't know you?" you raise your tone so the end of it was a small question as you wipe your lips with the back of your hand.

  "i told you we're together, though.."

  "and? i don't know you."

  "darling.."

  "dottore."

  "you're ... really going to do this?"

  "do what? not let some random man kiss me?"

  "random? little phoenix, you know me, surely."

he went from so mad with you to ... so depressed appearing, so quickly. his eyes softened as you rejected his advances and his voice softened as he started speaking with him. you couldn't help but .. feel bad for him. maybe you were too harsh with him. maybe that's it. he's probably more than aware that you don't have memories of him, entirely, and maybe it was just the way you acted that made him appear so .. sad looking.

a small pit formed in your stomach as you watched him move away from you without saying a word. it's not like you said a word to him, either, but he just ... didn't look at you as he moved back to his desk. his head rests on the knuckles of his hand as he quickly jot things down.

surely, you could fake knowing him a bit, if he was going to act like that. though, it'd probably just upset him more.

  "dottore?" you ask out, after a few moments of a deafening silence. the air in the room was thick as you asked for his attention, and you didn't get it right away like usual. not even a verbal response, or a small sound, or a movement of his body. he did nothing to acknowledge you calling out to him.

you did something wrong, didn't you? maybe said the wrong thing? was your tone too harsh?

"dottore, i'm sorry," you apologize to him as you attempt to sit up on your own. it takes you a few moments and a long time of struggling to maintain your weight on your stitched up arms, but you managed to do so.

no response. nothing.

  "dottore, i'm sorry, please don't ignore me," you call out to him as small tears drop down your face. you're quick to wipe them away. the last thing you need is him ignoring you.

all these guilt ridden thoughts swarmed your mind harshly and quickly as he continued to ignore you. to ignore your pleas, apologizes, and words.

he slowly stood himself up from beyond his desk and made his way towards the door of the office. he didn't seem to mind the piles of paper's he just crumbled underneath his foot, as he grips the door of the room.

  "i have to do something,"

  was all he says to you as he exits the room quickly.