Bon Appetit [Dead Plate Oneshots]

I bet on loosing dogs

TW: Victim Blaming, Angst, Trauma

(Aftermath of the Bistro getting Burnt)

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"I know what I did was wrong, but you didn't need to set the bistro on fire," Vince stated. The lamp above them swayed lightly, casting shadows on the scorched side of his face, blisters and healed burnt skin. His throat felt scratchy.

"Why?" Vince asked, seemingly oblivious to his wrongdoings. The only reason Rody agreed to meet Vince in his new apartment was the threat of a lawsuit. Vince had all the evidence to have Rody arrested, and who would believe a nobody like Rody against the esteemed Chef Vince?

The brunette seemed appalled by the question.

"Why? Why?!" The man's eyes widened in horror, remembering the malicious act that unfolded before him.

"You don't have the right to say that!" Hours spent on serving tables, dealing with the belittlement from the customers to have spare money and the culmination of his effort were torn apart by pure malice upon the realization the food he was given was his— Manon.

It still made his stomach sick.

"You killed her! You tried to make me eat her!" Despite the favours stacked against him, it didn't matter now as Rody screamed out his lungs in fury

"You killed the love of my life!"

His trembling hands slammed against the desk out in agony, for months! He desperately tried to regain any once and shreds of his sanity but it was too— late...  Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, reflecting the sorrow he felt.

Rody couldn't shake the loss of Manon. He tried keeping busy, diving into city life and staying holed up at home. But no matter what he did, memories of her stuck around like a nagging ache. Nights out and distractions were like weak shields against the hurt. Each attempt to forget felt half-hearted, leaving him stuck in the grip of grief.

"I— I tried to forget it all!" The brunette abruptly stood up from the chair. The screeching noise of the chair scraping against the floor pierced the tense air.

In a swift and fiery movement, he closed the distance between him and Vince, grabbing the front of Vince's collar with a white knuckled grip. The rage within him burned like a wildfire, fueled by the raw pain of Manon's murder. Vince, taken aback by the sudden onslaught, found himself face-to-face with the abundant of emotions Rody had been bottling up.

His approach was drastic, yet Vince did nothing to defend himself and allowed Rody to take his anger out on him.

"I tried to forget you" Rody's voice cut through the charged air, the words heavy with the weight of his attempts to erase the pain Vince had caused.

As the confession hung between them, Vince's gaze met Rody's with a pang of pain. Unspoken desperation flickered in Vince's eyes, a silent plea for Rody to not forget about him— even if he'll just become another painful memory.

In that moment, the ache of remorse mingled with a fear of abandonment. Vince dreaded being forgotten by Rody more than facing the consequences of his actions.

"I loved you" The raven haired adult struggled to speak, his throat still not healed properly.  Yet the burning pain littered across his skin— felt nothing, compared to the night that he lost everything he worked for in pursuit to cook something, made out of love

"I-I have loved you."
His words, dripped with desperation as if the phrase was just another way of Vince begging Rody to forget about him, even if his just another nuisance, another traumatizing experience— just don't forget him.

The room bore witness to the silent struggle, the emotional currents swirling between them like an unspoken plea for connection amidst the chaos.

Rody stared at him, his eyes shown one of pain and pure disbelief. All the torment, the suffering he'd endure was all caused by love? All because of that dainty feeling.

"Then don't love me."

The sweet, innocent charm that often adorned the brunette's gaze now held a profound despair that seemed to echo beyond the immediate loss.

"Love has done nothing but leave me" His voice lowered, His normally vibrant, mischievous eyes were now clouded with pain, and his lower lip quivered with an unspoken agony.

"Love left me feeling pathetic." The  passion that fueled his anger were cruelly extinguished in that moment, leaving him with nothing but the remnants of what once brought him solace, his delicate soul becoming an emotional storm.

"Love called me blind, Love called me pitiful and love has treated me as an outcast."

"So Vince..."

The world around him blurred as the tears dripped down his cheeks.

"Please don't love me."