CinderWill (Will Cipher x Reader)

Chapter 1: Recollection

"Hey, Y/N!" 

"No. Just no. Whatever it is, NO."

"But I can't fall asleep!"

"Bill, I am not making up another bedtime story for you. Will's already asleep, and I'm tired. Last time, you made me stay up all night!"

"Not ALL night."

"Bill, for Pete's sake..."

"Pleeeeease?"

"You know what? If you want a story so bad, make it up yourself and tell it to me."

"I've been waiting my entire life for this moment."

"No. You can't sit here talking about how awesome you are all night. If you want to tell me a story, it has to be about Will."

"Way to take all the fun out of it."

"Just shut up and start talking already."

"Which one? I can't do both."

"Bill, I swear-"

------------------------

"Will, wait up!" Y/N shouted. Arms pinwheeling with carefree abandon, skirt flying up around her knees, Y/N chased her blue-haired friend down the grassy hill.

"Run faster!" Will taunted over his shoulder, keeping a tantalizing distance ahead of the princess, always staying just barely out of reach.

"I'm gonna get you!" Y/N shrieked, taking him down with a flying tackle. They rolled down the hill in a tangle of flailing limbs and hysterical giggles, landing with a splash in the stream at the foot of the hill.

"That was cheating!" Will spluttered, pushing Y/N off him and wiping his wet hair out of his eyes. She was too busy laughing to disagree. The water was barely six inches deep, but Will had gone in headfirst, drenching him from head to toe. Y/N was sitting in the water, soaked to the waist but comparatively dry. They'd run far enough from their supervised picnic that their governesses were out of sight. Even at eight years old, such time to herself was rare for the young princess.

For as long as she could remember, Y/N had been burdened by the crushing expectations of royal behavior. Her days were filled with lessons in music, art, and other "ladylike" pursuits. Her only joy could be found in the stolen moments of freedom with Will. But, as always, those moments were too brief.

"I hear them coming!" She said in a disappointed tone. "Will, what will it take for you to tell them you pushed me in, and not the other way around?"

Will squinted at her thoughtfully. "All your dessert... for a month."

Y/N groaned. "No way!"

"Or you could just take the blame and accept the consequences like a princess should," Will said smugly, knowing what her answer would be.

Y/N made a face. "Fine, you can have all the desserts you want, just don't get me in trouble!"

Will laughed in triumph. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What- ACK!" Y/N squealed as Will splashed her in the face. She began to splash him back, only to be yanked roughly out of the stream by her nanny.

Inwardly, she sighed. Outwardly, she remained stoic as she faced the recriminations for "such childish behavior," which was apparently "inappropriate for someone of your station." Halfway through the reprimand, she tuned out completely to plan her and Will's next rebellious antics. She acknowledged with a sly wink when Will stepped forward to accept the blame for soiling Y/N's dress in the stream.

Y/N's governess, Nancy, grabbed Y/N's hand firmly, and Y/N allowed herself to be half-dragged back up the hill.

"Bye, Y/N!" Will called. Y/N turned to see that Will's nanny had simply tossed Will over her shoulder and was carrying him in the opposite direction. He seemed unruffled by this turn of events, and was waving at Y/N with a cheerful grin.

"Bye, Will!" Y/N called back, waving with her free hand. "See you tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow!  Can't wait!" He responded.

Will and Y/N would not see each other again for nearly ten years.

--------------------

"Crap. This is going to be depressing, isn't it?"

"Yup."

"We're going to be here for a while, aren't we?"

"Probably."

"Carry on."

--------------------

The same afternoon that Will and Y/N were playing together at their picnic, Will's father was killed in a tragic accident involving a landslide on a lonely road. In the chaotic aftermath that Will understood none of, he and his mother had to leave their home near the palace and move to an estate in the country, where Will's mother almost immediately remarried a wealthy older man named Stan Gleeful.

"This is for your sake," was all she would ever tell him when he asked.  "I'm trying to provide for your future, darling.  You'll understand when you're older."

Stan already had two children named Dipper and Mabel, who were four years older than Will.  They were perfect angels in front of their new stepmother, but behind her back they were malevolent demon children.  Will spent most of his time hiding in his room to avoid his new "friends."

To make matters worse, less than a year later Will's mother suddenly took ill and died.  Will was left alone in a house full of people who loved nothing more than to make his life miserable.  His days were full of manual labor, and his nights were spent grieving in silence for his parents and the friend he had lost.

Speaking of the friend, Y/N couldn't understand why Will had left so suddenly.  She would follow the king and queen around, pestering her nanny and anyone who would listen, asking them where Will had gone.

"Was it my fault?" She said repeatedly for weeks.  "Did I say something to upset him?  Does he not want to play with me anymore?"

No one ever explained Will's circumstances to her.  Over the years, as diplomacy and fencing replaced art and music in her lessons, Will slowly drifted to the back of her mind.  By the time she turned eighteen, she could barely remember having a blue-haired childhood sweetheart.

And so, Y/N and Will grew up far away from each other.  Though Y/N forgot Will, the opposite was never true.  Even in the loneliest times of Will's life, he held the memory of his carefree days playing with the princess close to his heart.  In the most irrational optimistic corner of his mind, he never gave up the hope of seeing her again, even once more.

I'll see her again someday.  I'm sure she's waiting to see me too.

But she wasn't waiting.

In fact, she had forgotten him completely.

-------------------------

"What have I gotten myself into?"

"You asked for it."

"No, I really didn't.  You're just lucky Will's asleep, because if he was hearing this I would be honor-bound to smack you into next week."

"I'd like to see you try."

(A/N: I'm publishing this in the middle of the night because I hate sleep apparently.  Anyway, I'll also publish my secret project in a few hours (once I've slept a bit) so watch out for that as well!)