❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

20

y/n sat on the floor for what felt like an eternity, her body numb, her tears all spent. she had no more left to cry. the room around her felt distant, as though she were trapped behind a veil, disconnected from everything. she sniffled quietly as she finally pushed herself up from the ground, wiping the last few stray tears with the sleeve of her dress. the silence in the room was thick, broken only by the soft crackling of the fire. calcifer, having witnessed everything, cleared his throat hesitantly, his flames flickering a little lower as he peeked sheepishly from behind a log. his wide, concerned eyes barely peeked out from the fire. "you okay there?" he asked cautiously, his voice small and uncertain.

y/n gave him a deadpan stare, her eyes tired and red from crying. they both knew the answer to his question, but calcifer had to ask. he fidgeted awkwardly, guilt written all over his fiery face. "yeah, sorry. i probably shouldn't have said that..." he quickly hid behind the log again, his flames shrinking as if to shield himself from further scrutiny. "i wasn't thinking...just, sorry..." he muttered from behind the wood, his voice barely audible.

a shaky sigh escaped y/n's lips as she took a moment to steady herself. she moved toward the hearth, grabbing a few logs and placing them beside calcifer, ensuring he wouldn't go out anytime soon. the movement felt mechanical as if she were just going through the motions, but it gave her something to focus on, something to keep her grounded.

once she finished, y/n slumped into the chair in front of calcifer. she sat there in silence for a moment, staring into the flickering flames, her mind still racing with everything that had just happened. howl's words echoed in her mind, the possessiveness behind them clinging to her like a shadow.

calcifer peeked out again, watching her carefully, not sure what to say or how to comfort her. he wanted to say something reassuring, but the way she looked— the exhaustion in her eyes—made him hesitant. "well...he can't keep me here forever," y/n finally muttered under her breath, her voice barely above a whisper. she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than making a declaration.

she knew that howl was trying to protect her and doing what he thought was best, but he sure had a funny way of showing it. calcifer's flames flickered nervously at her words. "uh...i don't think you should be telling me this..." he replied, his voice shaky, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. his eyes darted around the room as if howl could hear them through the walls. "he might find out, and, uh...you know how he can be..." the flame demon trailed off, not wanting to imagine what howl's reaction would be if he overheard the two of them talking.

y/n let out a soft, humorless laugh. "sorry..." she mumbled, though she didn't really need to apologize. she just felt the weight of everything pressing down on her, and talking to calcifer— even if he couldn't help— felt better than bottling it all up inside.

calcifer, desperate to change the subject and ease the tension, asked tentatively, "so...you think you're gonna have anything to eat?"

y/n shook her head slowly, her frown deepening. the idea of eating, after everything that had happened, made her stomach churn. "not tonight, cal..." she whispered, her voice soft and full of sadness. she couldn't bring herself to think about food, not when her heart felt so heavy.

calcifer watched her carefully, his flames flickering in quiet sympathy. "oh," was all that he said in response though he still wished there was something he could do. his fire crackled gently, the sound filling the room as they both sat there in silence.

the castle felt heavier than usual, the weight of the day pressing down on every stone and beam. y/n could feel it in the way the air seemed to thicken, the way the walls almost seemed to lean in, enclosing her in an invisible cage. the only thing that felt alive in the oppressive silence was calcifer's warm glow, the flicker of his flames casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. y/n sat there, staring into the fire, her mind lost in the swirling patterns of orange and gold. the flickering light was hypnotic, pulling her deeper into her own thoughts—thoughts she wasn't sure she wanted to confront.