❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

15

"yeesh, you look terrible." calcifer commented once he laid eyes on y/n's disheveled appearance.

y/n grimaced, her clothes clinging to her damply. "tell me about it," she grumbled, stopping in front of him. she stood there, hoping that his fiery warmth would help dry her soaked clothes. as the heat began to seep into her, she started to think back to everything that had happened. up until the moment of his tantrum, howl had been the epitome of a smooth operator. the way he had met and saved her from those creepy guards, the way he spoke to her with his calm demeanor—it all gave y/n the impression that he was a collected and composed man. however, when something as trivial as his hair color went wrong, he completely lost it. why bother getting so worked up over something so minor?

he couldn't be that self-conscious, could he? she frowned. unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by calcifer's voice. "so...where is he?" he asked, bringing her back to the present.

y/n blinked rapidly, trying to shake off her contemplative mood. "oh, uh," she started, coming back down to earth. "he's going to take a nap, i think," she speculated. she may not know a thing about magic but after the shit she witnessed, she's certain that howl is going to be tired beyond recognition. calcifer observed her, his beady eyes searching her e/c ones thoughtfully. "do you think i should go check on him? he didn't say a word when i bathed him. not one," she then added before crossing her arms over her chest.

"he doesn't like to be disturbed when he's trying to sleep," calcifer stated, his comment stinging y/n a little bit. she bit her lip, feeling a pang of hurt at the thought of howl not wanting to see her. "but..." the fire demon continued, thinking out loud, "you could bring him a thing of warm milk." he gestured towards the small assortment of mugs in the kitchen area of the castle. "he probably won't accept it, but...it would give you the chance to try and talk with him," he suggested.

y/n pursed her lips, considering calcifer's words. it made sense, and it was an opportunity to extend an olive branch, to show howl that she cared. she nodded her head resolutely. "okay," she agreed and then made her way to the kitchen, the wooden floorboards creaking softly beneath her feet. she selected a plain mug, filled it with milk, then walked over and— with his permission— heated it gently over calcifer's flames. as she waited for the milk to warm, she glanced back at calcifer, who watched her with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"y'know," calcifer said, breaking the silence, "howl's not really used to people caring about him like this. he's...a complicated guy. if i were you, i wouldn't waste your breath or energy on him." he shared his opinion on the wizard, much to the confusion of y/n who could only stare at the demon in front of her with a puzzled look. how could he say such a thing? howl was so kind, and what happened moments prior was just a small stepping stone for what was to come next.

y/n decided to hold her tongue and simply smiled softly, "i can see that," she replied, pulling the warmed mug of milk away from calcifer and cupping it close to her. good, it wasn't too hot. "but i want to understand him, no matter how complicated he is."

calcifer laughed sarcastically. "yeah, good luck with that." he said simply.

with the warm mug in her hands, y/n made her way back upstairs. the castle seemed quieter now, the tension from earlier dissipating slightly as she approached howl's bedroom once more. she took a deep breath before opening the door, finally getting a good look at the space she had only glimpsed before. the room was littered with wards and talismans, their mystical symbols glinting faintly in the dim light. childhood toys and artifacts were scattered about as well.

on the bed, amidst the clutter, lay howl, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling with each slow breath. he looked so different now, so vulnerable compared to his usual self-assured demeanor. "i brought some warm milk. would you like a sip?" y/n asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. she watched as howl, eyes still closed, and slowly shook his head. "i'll leave it here for you then..." she added, walking over to his bedside table and setting the mug down carefully. "just...try to drink it before it gets cold," her heart aching that he wouldn't talk to her, much less look at her.