𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧

✧[040]✧

"...Homeboy just got laid out." 

Ace whispered besides you while a part of you was a bit mortified. Yuuka stomped on Ace's foot for being insensitive, making you nod in approval for a brief moment. But quickly, you turned back to Epel.
He looked genuinely hurt by the lost. Both physically and mentally. He kept his gaze to the floor, his eyes glazed over as Vil took a few steps towards to boy, just to stare down at him.

"Listen and listen well. You're nothing but a plain apple, devoid of poison. Truly Weak. If you don't shape up, you'll never land a single hit on me." Epel's lips began to tremble at the sound of it while the strings in your heart began to pull. You couldn't help but be hurt for him. Epel didn't deserve that. Not to mention he was a freshman as well.

Kalim began to speak as you cut him off, boiling. Fighting was not the way to solve things, especially talking down upon others afterwards. Epel squeezed his own arm, tears begining to spill as Vil spoke. He turned around, running out the room as quickly as he could. He hated Pomefiore with a burning passion. He just wanted to go home.

"I wish I wasn't so USELESS."

"I wish wasn't so weak..."

"I wish I didn't have to be here."

I wish I could go back to my orchard.. I wish.. I.. I.. wish..."

You felt your ears ringing as soon as Epel left the room, they filled with sob filled wishes. You had begun to have enough. You knew you liked Vil, he had some good qualities. However, his behavior lately has been out of pocket. You furrowed your eyebrows together, turning towards Vil.

"Vil," You warned, "It it go. Leave him alone. I understand this lesson you are trying to teach but just drop it. This is a bit cruel." Ah. Cruel. Too Vil that's exactly how the world treated him. He chose to work hard, he took those verbal beatings before because that how true strength grows. If Epel couldn't take it, so be it.

"If cruelty is what breaks him then he has no place being here, does he. Replacements can come quick." He snapped back, crossing his arms while you felt your ears begin to go sore. From Epel's words shaking the drums within them. Vil stared down at you in the same way he did to Epel... Only difference is he was focused on your neck.

"What? Vil, do you have any semblance of what you are saying? Epel is a freshman. Nor is he as experienced as you. I," You paused, preventing yourself from boiling over and simply turned your back to him as if he wasn't a predator but rather a weakling himself, "I'll talk to you later."

"Now wait," Vil noticed it was blood. You were bleeding. He felt worry pool in his stomach and a tad of guilt as you sped up to try and leave the room, "You aren't about to run out like him are you?"

"I am. Because I care about my friends, rather then make them cry." You murmured, slamming the door taking Grim with you as you did so.

"Epel? It's cold out here... You know? Maybe we should go inside?" He had his knees to his chest, he sat against the Evil Queens statue in the courtyard with the Seven. He only occasionally trembled, sniffling he looked up with a tearful pout.

"...Yeah? And what do you want? You you gonna like fun at me too?" He murmured, he wouldn't have minded if you did anyways. He turned away, refusing to look at you the most you approaches.

"No, Epel. You know I would never do that." You sighed, sitting besides him, you leaned your head upon his shoulder, listening to his uneven breathing, until he finally settled, "I understand it's upsetting. He's been nothing but cruel lately... especially towards you.

"But I need you to understand despite it being inexcusable, he really is doing it for you. It's not that he wants to hurt you, he just wants to help you be the best you can be. He just can't execute good for shit. He's hurtin' you without realizing." You sighed, wrapping your arms over his shoulder, only for his wiggle you off and turned towards you.

"B..but how! I ain't cute! I ain't strong! I ain't nothing but a weak, weak boy. I don't belong here, I don't belong in Pomefiore." Face full of tears, you ran your thumb over his cheeks swiping away the tears, and caressing his soft skin.

"You aren't weak. You've never been weak, I'm sorry people told you otherwise."

"B..but Vil-"

"Vil is taking advantage of your emotional state, Epel. The more you think about him, the more you'll realize how much he's been poking at you. He's doing it not out of spite, only out of hopes the areas you aren't strong in, will get stronger. I'm sorry he's been so bad at his guidance, he really, really needs to work on that... But he's just being strick, hard on you so you grow."

Epel bit his lip and nodded. He knew most of that was true. But something else was eating away at him more than anything. He still lost the fight, "B..but I lost! I lost that damn fi-"

"Epel, shush. You are a freshman. It's no wonder that he is more experienced. I think you're forgetting the years of training he's had compared to yourself. You aren't weak. You just aren't on his current skill level yet. You'll be there soon, I promise." You cupped his cheeks, as he stared at your mask, he couldn't help but long to see your face.

His gaze trailed down and he tensed up, quickly sniffling up any snot and wiping his nose on his sleeve. He touched your neck running it over some of the fresh blood that had dripped down from your ears, while some areas had dried up, oxidizing leaving a burgundy hue. The sight made him begin to cry more, you were hurt and coming to see him. He couldn't felt but feel guilty welt up.

Before you knew it, he began crying once more wiping tears every so often unable to stop himself. You only wrapped your arms around him fully, hugging him endearingly as he did.

The real reasons to these tears... was guilt. He LET you get poisoned. He LET you suffer. He even poisoned you himself from order of Vil. How could you even stand to look at him. How could you touch him. How could you care. It was disgusting. He was disgusting, he turned into a coward. He turned into something he never wanted to be, did something he never wanted to do.

He hurt a little apple blossom that never deserved to be hurt. And even when you were hurting yourself you came to comfort him. He couldn't help but sob out of guilt. How could he, "Yer... Y.. you're..." He kept pausing in-between sobs unable to get the words out.

"Ya bleeding, sugarplum! I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry I'm wasting yer time when you're hurt. I.. I-" You shushed him once more, the cold no longer even existing to you as you held him, he pulled away, staring at the blood in horror. The same horror he felt when he had watched you fall from poisoning. The same poison he could've prevented.

"Epel, it's fine-"

"It ain't! I.." You sighed, wiping his tears once more as everything began to boil down to a thick silence. He stared at your neck, lost for words. You pulled your mask up a bit, but he hadn't noticed, leaning forward, you placed a few kisses upon his pink hued cheeks, pulling it back down when you leaned away.

His eyes went wide and he blinked at you, startled by your actions. You watched his face turn pink as he touched his cheeks with his fingertips,  you kissed his cheeks, his gross tear stained cheeks. He stumbled over his own words unable to say anything as you just giggled at him, "You're my friend, Epel. I promise to always be there for you even when I'm hurt. Besides, I hadn't even noticed I was bleeding till you said something."

You laughed it off, pulling out your phone to use the camera mode, staring at your masked reflection and brushing away the crimson. All while Epel stared at you wide-eyed, like a dead fish in a cold pan, he hadn't moved an inch. For a second the only thought that swam through his mind was that... How could you have kissed a person who began to believe poisoning wasn't a bad idea.

"I wish I wasn't just as cruel as Vil."