𝐌𝐘 𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

三十一 | 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍

adulation (n.)
adoration. worship.
admiration. devotion.
reverence. favor.

「 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑵𝑬 」
𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍

꧁꧂

    Like Ferid promised, he kept (Y/N) on a tight leash—well, a tighter leash—after releasing her from her confinement. He treated her just like he would a doll that was so precious one could hardly touch her before she'd break. Of course, he had no problem with holding her, touching her, caressing her, or any such activities like that, but instead was more irritated when Ayal tried to convince him once again not to.

It was a never ending cycle, one that was truly starting to grow quite old.

"Ayal," Ferid declared after working at his desk with (Y/N) by his side once again, glancing up to meet Ayal's gaze. "I have a meeting with Krul, so I need you to watch my pet for me."

"Understood," Ayal uttered despite the twitching of his brows, a suggestion of his displeasure.

"Good," Ferid hummed as he stood up, lacing his hands behind his back whilst gripping (Y/N)'s chain, forcing her to walk with him towards Ayal where he then handed over her chain. "I'll be gone for a few hours, so make sure to take excellent care of her." Laying a hand on Ayal's shoulder and squeezing painfully, he continued with a lighthearted yet threatening grin, "I expect nothing less."

With that, he was gone.

Ayal stared at the spot where Ferid disappeared before glaring down at (Y/N).

She merely looked away.

Scoffing, Ayal merely tugged her by the chain out of the room and down the hallways and winding stairs. When she recognized the familiar route and realized where they were going, that was when she started to panic, straining against the chain in hopes of somehow escaping such a predicament. Instead, it only seemed to worsen Ayal's flared temper as he then grabbed her roughly by the hair and continued to yank her forward. Descending into the dungeon, he opened the cell and threw her in before locking the door, his eyes frigid as he stared down at her.

"This isn't a punishment, merely a means of ensuring you don't escape," Ayal announced with a frosty edge to his tone. "As Lord Ferid woefully forgot, I have a task I need to complete for him today that cannot be ignored." His scowl deepened, muttering, "How disappointing."

Turning on his heel, Ayal stalked off, not even bothering to close the dungeon's door behind him. Gripping the bars of her cell, (Y/N) watched with desperation in her gaze as he left, grateful that there was still light yet fear gripping her all the same. She hated it down her, and just when she thought she was free from its constraints, she was thrown back in this misery just as quickly. Slumping to her knees, her forehead pressed against the cold bars, she whimpered softly, wishing for Ferid or Ayal to return.

It was a horrible wish.

A wish she never thought she'd have.

Yet, when one is desperate not to repeat something horrible, they take desperate measures. For (Y/N), it was relying on the very beings who had thrown her into this nightmare.

Curling into herself on the dirty floor, her clothes now stained, she tried to shut out the silence and the harshness of her reality. She succeeded for a while, but then the sound of footsteps cut through her concentration, and she immediate sprang upwards, eager to be set free from her prison—well, from her prison within a prison. So, imagine her surprise when instead of Ferid or Ayal, Crowley stood there with that calm, lilting smile on his lips. She blinked up at him, trailing his form with her eyes until he stopped right in front of her.

"Well..." he started with a small hum. "This is certainly a sight to see, isn't it?"

(Y/N) stepped back within her cell, eyeing him warily, as she had very much not forgotten how he had been the one to recapture her and leave her to Ferid's wrath. Crowley, meanwhile, merely seemed to find her reaction to his presence amusing, leaning against the bars of the prison as casually as if he were anywhere but a dungeon.

"Quiet, huh?" Crowley then mused, tilting his head at her silence. "Well, I suppose I don't blame you for that. But, considering the day ahead of us, I do hope you don't stay this way for long."

Before (Y/N) could even hope to try and decipher his words, her eyes widened in disbelief when he unsheathed his sword and promptly used the weapon to break the lock of her cell door. Shielding herself from the fiery sparks and slight metallic debris that flew upon such an action, she observed with trepidation the way Crowley casually opened the cell door and beckoned her forward. His expression was relaxed—too relaxed for her taste, but he had done the one thing she wanted above all else in that moment.

Slowly, she stepped forward.

Briefly, she wondered if this was all a sick joke, or if it was a test, but she chose to brush those thoughts aside and take her chance. Her muscles tightened as she brushed past Crowley, but he made no move to grab her, instead choosing to follow behind her. As she followed the familiar route up and out of the dungeon, she soon took her first step outside the manor since the incident where she tried to escape. She glanced up at Crowley who was already watching her, his grin slightly growing. Quickly looking away, (Y/N) continued to walk forward with him.

Eventually, they reach his manor far from where Ferid's lay, and they played their usual round of chess. Just like always, (Y/N) beat Crowley.

"How amusing..." he hummed after the fact, observing the board before flicking his blood red eyes up to her face, observing her. "It seems your skills haven't diminished. In fact, it's quite the opposite." When she still said nothing in response, he continued with, "Do you hate me now?"

(Y/N) inhaled sharply at that.

"Well?" Crowley prodded. "Do you?"

"I... don't think I can care enough to hate you," she muttered softly, something that only further sparked his interest. "I'm never going to be able to escape. It's best I just... accept that."

"You say that almost bitterly," he chuckled.

"I suppose so."

"Then..." Crowley furthered the conversation as he leaned forward, his gaze glimmering with something she had never seen before—something that made her heart speed up with solicitude. "Would you care if I just... take you?"

(Y/N) stared at him for a moment.

Finally, she answered.

"No."

━━━━━━━━ ꧁ ♥ ꧂ ━━━━━━━━

「 𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑼𝑬𝑫 」