Will You Love me?

Chapter Eighteen: Staining

Poppy winced as Creek shut the door in her face. She gasped when she saw the bright red blood stain she had left on the bed. She didn't know who to tell, for nobody was there to help her.

The only person that could understand would be Velvet, but Poppy couldn't bear to ask her for help.

She was stuck. She couldn't leave the bedroom without someone seeing her leave, but she couldn't stay in there forever. She decided to sneak out and try to find a way to clean up the mess before anyone noticed. 

She carefully made her way to the bathroom, hoping to find some cleaning supplies. But as she rummaged through the cabinets, she heard a voice behind her.

"What are you doing?" Velvet asked, her voice cold and distant.

Poppy froze, feeling her cheeks turn red with embarrassment. She didn't know what to say, so she just stood there, avoiding Velvet's gaze.

"Is that blood?" Velvet asked, her tone softening a bit.

Poppy nodded, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She was so relieved that someone finally knew, but she was also scared of Velvet's reaction.

"Come with me," Velvet said, grabbing Poppy in her hand and walking her to her room. She opened her closet and pulled out a package of pads.

"I have these, but they might not fit you," Velvet said, handing Poppy the package. "We can use some scissors to cut them down to size."

"Wow, thank you!"

Poppy watched as Velvet cut the pad, tapping her when it was the right size.

"Is that good?" Velvet asked, holding it up.

Poppy nodded and gave Velvet a small smile.

Velvet looked at Poppy for a moment, a mix of admiration and guilt etched upon her face. She caught herself, and shook her head, returning to her normal state of brattiness.

"Oh my God, you're a mess!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "You're lucky I found you, I don't know what I'd do without my little plaything."

Poppy winced at the harsh words, but she couldn't help feeling grateful for Velvet's help.

Poppy quickly cleaned herself up, feeling a little embarrassed that Velvet had seen her in such a vulnerable state. Although she had been in a vulnerable state ever since Velvet had captured her, this time it was different. She hated having to ask Velvet, of all people, for help.

"I'm not your plaything! I shouldn't even be Creek's!" Poppy growled, glaring at Velvet.

"You're not mine, at least not yet." Velvet said, a crooked smile on her lips.

Poppy gasped, only imagining what evil plan Velvet had thought up.

"But don't worry, I won't bore you with the details," She smirked, walking into the kitchen. "C'mon Poppy, follow me."

Poppy quickly followed her, not wanting to know what would happen if she didn't.

"What are you doing?" Poppy asked curiously as Velvet pulled a bowl out of a kitchen cabinet.

"You're a mess and wet wipes just aren't gonna cut it," Velvet said, filling the bowl with water.

Poppy opened her mouth in shock. She had no idea where all this kindness was coming from.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Poppy asked her tearfully.

Velvet's face reddened as she squirted soap in the water.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm just being practical. I can't lose you. It would be a lot of work to find a new troll."

Poppy bit back a snarky remark, deciding it was better to just let Velvet do her thing.

She sat down and let Velvet wash her body, feeling a little bit of tension leave her body with each stroke.

When they were finished, Velvet handed Poppy a towel and motioned for her to dry off. Poppy couldn't help but feel a little bit of gratitude towards Velvet, despite her harsh words.

"Thank you," Poppy said quietly, looking down at her feet. "I...I didn't expect you to be nice to me."

Velvet sighed, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm not nice, I'm just...trying to do the right thing," Velvet said, avoiding eye contact. "I know what it's like to be treated like garbage, I don't want to do that to someone else."

Poppy's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such vulnerability from Velvet.

"I...I'm sorry," Poppy said sadly.

"It's fine, just...don't expect this to happen again," Velvet said, regaining her composure. "Now let's go before Creek realizes we're gone."

Poppy nodded, following Velvet out of the room. 

"I thought ahead and sewed you some outfits," Velvet informed Poppy, leading her into the room. "It's mainly PJs and sweats though,"

Poppy bit her lip as her eyes swarmed with tears. She ran to Velvet and hugged her ankle.

"What are you doing?" Velvet asked, looking down at Poppy with disgust.

"You looked like you needed a hug!" Poppy said, shrugging.

Velvet kicked her foot out, launching Poppy across the room.

"If Creek asks, I was never here, and you just found those clothes under the bed." Velvet told Poppy, her blue eyes piercing through the room.

Poppy nodded, her heart hurting and her eyes swelling with tears. She watched as Velvet disappeared out of the room, before falling to her knees. She buried her face into her hands and sobbed.