Flowers Withered, But My Love Never Did (TWST X Nu: Carnival FanFic)

Chapter 0.5: Fractured Memory (Lilia and Diasomnia)

December 8th

{Diasomnia}

Everyone in Diasomnia could tell Lilia wasn't acting like himself, but it wasn't something they would ask about. Lilia would always start to act like how he was now before the holidays.

But- it seemed different this time around. Lilia was more melancholic than the last times, as if- he was contemplating something on his end. And that was confusing to everyone, due to Lilia having never shown a side of himself like this before.

It worried Silver immensely, so much so that he decided to keep a close eye on him for a bit.

Lilia in the meantime was in his own thoughts, absentmindedly moving his wrist to make his hand stir his coffee.

He still remembered how Aster would go out of his way to prepare him his favorite cup, one that he still had dreams about for years after not speaking to him.

'...I miss them,' he thought.

"Father?" Silver said softly, so suddenly that it caused the older man to jump a little in his chair.

"Huh?" He said, looking up at the boy.

His eyes showed his concern, emotion so intense that Lilia felt his eyes water.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

"I'm sure, Silver. I'm just a bit confused with myself." He said softly, giving the boy a reassuring smile.

Silver knew that the fae was interested in both women and men, and he knew why he had said that: when he was old enough to understand what a romantic relationship was, he had told him that he had a polyamory relationship with a few men.

But by the time he had been told this as a 12-year-old, he had unfortunately broken up with some of them and lost contact. While he still talked to a couple of them, he hadn't been to their homes in years.

It always seemed to leave him emotional as well, but he never asked for fear of accidentally getting too close to his boundaries.

"Alright. Just- know you can talk to me about it when you're ready, okay?" He told him.

"Okay. Thanks, Silver." Lilia said, smiling softly.

'I certainly raised you well, son.' He thought, watching the boy leave to talk with someone.

"It's amazing that it's been so long since that day... I wonder how they're all doing." He mumbled.

After a bit of thinking, he finished the rest of his coffee and stood up. Heading to the main staircase, he made his way up it back towards his room and opened his door.

Carefully walking over the mess he had begun to make after a few years, he made his way over to his desk and to a jewelry rack, where one of the many sentimental jewelry pieces Aster had given him years ago was.

He touched the pendant hanging on it, the same one he had looked at earlier while still in the room earlier that morning. What was originally a bright copper locket was now a faded reflection of what it was, and the original cord having snapped years ago and had been lovingly replaced by Malleus with a forest green ribbon.

He took it off its hook, putting it on after a few moments of looking at it silently. Which made an unexpected memory come back into frame...

~~~

"Lilia~" The vampire called out softly, his voice sounding like he was singing.

Lilia looked up from his book and turned to look at his door. Aster was standing in the doorway, seemingly holding something behind his back.