𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧

✧[038]✧

School is out today! It's snowing... This is the last dose of medication before you are fully healed! Plus... A lil something from my Meemaw and I.
- Love, Epel.

A crisp red apple greeted your sights upon waking, the light from a nearby candle flickering off of it, giving it a crimson shine in the somewhat dim room. Sunlight ran short, the sky didn't fill the room with light, especially now that the windows were boarded up again. Occasionally, you'd wince as a gust of cold air would blow through, making you tremble at it's touch.

You pulled yourself upwards, remembering about your phone and wincing at the sight of 200+ messages. Most of them from Cater and Lilia asking about where you've been. A few others were more surprising, a few from Leona, one from Riddle, and  a spew of random nonsense from Grim. You didn't think so many people would be messaging you when you were just gone for a few days.

You'd deal with that later. For now your thoughts were still lingering amongst the dream you had the previous night about a queen and how your friends were doing. Getting dressed, you chowed the crisp sweetened fruit as you left the room, swallowing the medicine as quickly as possible soon after.

The living room was louder then usually, Ace crying like it was the end of the world as your mind still was on autopilot, trying to put together pieces as the reason for their unnecessary volume. You blankly stared at Ace and Deuce in the living room, they looked like they got beat up, seriously.

"Who beat y'all up? It's to early for this..." You murmured, yawning despite just waking up and tossing the half eaten apple off to Grim, his tail swished happily to get another snack in, despite his dislike towards veggies and fruits. He chowed the rest for you.

"Little rats were scurrying around the kitchen last night. It was only necessary." The strong voice of Vil murmured from behind you, his heels clicking loudly as he made his entrance.

"Hey! The Almighty Grim ain't no rat!" Vil subconsciously grabbed Grim by the scruff of his neck, dropping him off the couch onto the floor besides the Spudlings, dumb and dumber.

"He cursed us... He cursed THE FOOD." Ace cried out, clutching his back as if it was the end of the world. He rubbed the sore spot while Vil only rolled his eyes in response. You felt the few braincells you had from just waking up jingle around a bit for stopping completely. No thoughts.

"Immobilizing you till next sunrise was necessary as well. You didn't listen, or abide to the diet that I set for you. You should've known better. How unbecoming of you all... Forced to sleep on the floor just because your lack of intellectual thought. Now get up worms, run along to get ready. We have practice today." Only a few words registered in your mind. Curses and bullshit. It was to early in the morning for this.

And that's enough social interaction for the day.

A few sentences was enough, you stepped around them all without anymore words, leaving Ramshackle entirely. You heard them call out to you while you shut the door behind you without another word. You had to leave anyways to get to Pomefiore but first you walked towards the white sheeted blanket, throwing yourself in the snow.

You heard a screech from inside, presumably from Vil. He probably saw you through the window, without a coat or proper protection from the weather. You only opened you phone and began to catch up on what was missed messages. Only for you to notice Epel a few feet away, dressed properly for the weather.

"Vil is going to roast you alive."

You began rolling in the snow like a dog upon hearing his words, leaving uneven ugly patches of white around the Ramshackle yard. Epel giggled a bit, as snow got intertwined with your hair and clothing, he couldn't help but admire the times when you truly were yourself, rebellious, or actually enjoying something you were doing.

He sat down besides you squeezed snow in-between his thick woolen gloves and making little balls that varied in size. Stacking them atop each other while you lay close by. He felt his eyes drift towards you, enamoured by the sight of you as always. He found it fascinating that he... Found himself so fond of someone who's face was a mystery to him.

"I'm glad yer feeling better... But you shouldn't be so underdressed, you'll get sick again." He murmured eyes still focused on the pure white snow in his palms.

He poked tiny twigs into the stacks, as you scooted closer to him, your body no longer as acclimated to the weather and begining to tremble from the harsh cold. It was very obvious that he was making you and him. But you couldn't help but feel warm in your core at the gesture.

"Are ya cold, sugarplum? Come here. You shouldn't have come out in this weather dressed like that." You huffed, the air from doing so came out  in condensation from the temperature difference. You scooted closer to him as he wrapped a free arm around you, tucking you against his thick clothing.

"We have to get to practice soon. Vil would hate it if we weren't there early as Pomefiore." You grumbled, feeling yourself occasionally twitch and tremble from the cold. His grip tightened, although his frame was small, he surrounded you nicely, his arms fully wrapped around you, his face tucked into your cold neck.

"I'd... Can we stay like this a little longer? Please? Fer me at least."

"Of course..."

"I wish I could spend more time with ya. I love every inch of you, I can safely say... You are my best friend, [Name]. I'd love to introduce you to my Meemaw... She's been naggin me about it too. I'm sure she'd love you... Just like I... I..."