❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

10

y/n rested her hands on her hips, her eyebrows furrowed as she paced in front of the door. her footsteps echoed in the otherwise quiet room. she had finished her breakfast and, wanting to do the right thing, washed whatever dirty dishes & silverware she could find lying around before putting them away since she not only didn't want to add to the already overwhelming heap of trash that cluttered the castle but help with it too. the exception to the mess, from what y/n has seen, was the room that she slept in last night. she still finds it odd just how neat and organized it was.

anyway! speaking of howl, he had been gone for about forty minutes now. she glanced at the clock, her frustration mounting. he had asked her to stay until he got back, but the longer he was away, the more restless she became. it just didn't seem fair. she felt trapped, unsure of her place. again, she was an acquaintance to howl, she just found it difficult to believe that he trusted her so much to keep her in his place of residency until he returned.

so there she was, standing in front of the door, pondering if she should leave just for the heck of it. she had overstayed her welcome, surely howl would understand? her hand reached for the doorknob, her mind spinning with indecision. before she could take a step forward, calcifer's voice broke through her thoughts, causing her to flinch. "you're not thinking of leaving, are you?" he inquired, peeking over the logs that were tossed upon him haphazardly to carefully watch y/n.

"no!" y/n replied abruptly, her voice sharper than she intended. she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "i mean..." she added, quieter, "it's not like i can stay here." she reiterated.

calcifer's flames flickered thoughtfully. "can't say i blame you, just look at this place." he gestured with a flame appendage to the surrounding mess, the piles of discarded papers, books, remnants of old meals, and other miscellaneous. "not exactly welcoming, is it?" he asked rhetorically, frowning and embarrassed.

y/n— after walking up the stairs to be on the same level— glanced around, her eyes lingering on the clutter. "it's not that," she said, shaking her head. "i mean, it's part of it, but...i just feel out of place here. this whole situation is so surreal, you know? i owe howl tenfold but i don't want to take advantage of his kindness." she explained herself.

'if only you knew...' calcifer first thought to himself before making a sound that resembled a sigh. "you're not the first to feel that way, believe me." he mumbled, his words nearly inaudible with the crackle and sizzling of body burning the wood around him.

y/n turned to face him, crossing her arms. "really? so there have been others?" such a statement shouldn't come as no surprise to her; he was an eyeful and not only that, he had a good heart too. but could this be the reason for people misconstruing him by saying that he ate the hearts of pretty women? well, no, she shouldn't think that way; y/n should assume that howl cannot be trusted since she doesn't truly know him. they just met. still, she refuses to believe he would try and do anything to her since there are far more gorgeous women in her hometown.

why would he bother wasting his time on someone like her?

calcifer's eyes flickered. "not exactly. but howl's not one for conventional living arrangements. people tend to find it...overwhelming, or at least that's what i think. i know i can't stand the sight of it." he then admitted.

she sighed, the weight of her confusion and uncertainty settling heavily on her shoulders. "i just don't know what to do. i feel like i'm intruding, but at the same time, i don't want to seem ungrateful." she continued to vent.

calcifer's gaze softened, his flames flickering gently. "you're not intruding. if howl didn't want you here, you'd know it. trust me." he reassured, despite him wanting y/n to get as far away from this castle and howl as soon as possible but, alas, he knew he could say this. who knew what howl would do to calcifer his doubts ever came to light! the flame demon shuddered at the mere thought. "and don't worry about him, he's usually away for days on end. if anything, you should be grateful he'll be gone for just a few hours." he pointed out a silver lining.

"but what if something happens to him?"

"he can take care of himself," calcifer said firmly. "he's been through worse than whatever he's dealing with now. did ya hear the note the wicked witch of the waste gave him?" he grimaced. "nasty business, i tell ya."

she nodded, trying to take comfort in calcifer's words. but the worry gnawed at her, refusing to be silenced. "i just...i don't want to be a burden."

calcifer chuckled, a sound like crackling wood. "a burden? you've done more cleaning in one morning than howl's done in a year. you're far from a burden. honest." he promised. it was times like this he wished he were a human, even if it was for a few minutes because he would surely give y/n a hug right about now.

y/n couldn't help but smile at that. "well, it's not like it's that hard to do better than this," she said, gesturing to the mess.

"true enough," calcifer admitted. "but still, you've made an effort. that counts for something. so...what i am trying to say is..." he averted his gaze, suddenly becoming shy. "thanks."

"you're welcome." y/n replied before she sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "i guess i'll stay. at least until he gets back." she concluded.

"good choice," calcifer said, his flames flickering brighter for a moment as he fought beaming from ear to ear. was it selfish of him that he wanted to talk to y/n a little longer, or was that howl's doing? whatever the case, he stared longingly at the h/c-haired woman, her presence like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stifling castle. "besides, i could use the company." he added, god knows how many nights he had to spend in this place, bored of his mind and having no one to talk to.

the endless solitude had worn on him, each day blending into the next with nothing to break the monotony. but now, with y/n here, it was different. she was different. this was the first time in a long time that calcifer felt genuinely happy. her kindness, her concern—it was a stark contrast to the usual indifference that the flame difference was used to howl giving him.

he just hoped that howl wouldn't try anything. as much as he knew the wizard's intentions were often unpredictable, calcifer couldn't shake the unease that lurked beneath his surface joy. he's known him for a long time and one thing is for certain; howl has his eyes fixation on y/n and subtle as it might be, it's a growing concern.