𝑰dentity v || Oneshots

♡ A Safe Place | Red x Aesop

I dont usually do OC requests, but I made an exception ^^
Requested by : redlaserartist

A losing streak. That was the very thing that had happened over the last 5 hours. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but it seemed everyone else didn't think so. All the others had escaped and won their matches time and time again, so why couldn't she? It felt like a dead weight has impacted on the team, and that weight had been her the whole time—at least that was what she thought. Little Red, oh so afraid to face her past had suddenly creeped back into the present once again. Her doubts were more intense than the times she had barely made it out of the exit gate, the flow of voices telling her she wasn't enough could only match the grim sense her own words.

Slouching, Red found herself sitting by the window. It wasn't unusual to see the bright blue skies of the day, the silence of the room as the only soul was her's. Ever since she had ran away from home, the Manor was the only place she could stay at. But even with the conflict that had stayed back home resided with her father, she could never escape her own demons. They had mocked her, the whispers of an invisible malice gawked at how pathetic she had acted during her matches in this game of cat and mouse.

It was a miracle the other survivors had never really said anything about her mistakes, but even so, she could still sense of their disappointment. They had usually stayed back when it was her time to play, and some forcefully dragged to team up. For once, Red had rather heard their frustrations rather than feel their expectations burning a hole through her body. But like usual, she squeezed herself into a crevice she made into her own, hiding and neglecting every conversation anyone tried to accomplish.

The contortionist could only replay the previous matches she had. Trying to look at the bright side, she could only falter back into a solemn mess as she was reminded of the many opportunities she was given to save, hide, and escape. It was difficult, and she had always wondered how everyone else was able to find the confidence in themselves to act this brave. Anxiety fueling and thoughts beginning to cry, Red could only stay seated as the sun disappeared into the night.

♡

It was dark... but the sounds of the wind blowing a kiss through the window fought with the silence. She had stayed here the whole day, and Red could only watch as her time was wasted because of a doubt she helped keep tended.

The door opens, and she could only jolt as an uninvited guest welcomed themselves inside the lonely library.

Oh it's just the Embalmer...she calmed down, watching as his slender lean figure walked across the room to search for more books to read. She should've know it was him, it became almost a routine for him to crowd himself in papers and old stories of whatever were on the shelves. In her opinion, the fairytales had often portrayed too much of a happy ending, and it bothered her to see that after all the trouble the protagonist had gone through, they managed to still find a nice ending. Unlike herself, Red didn't expect too much to happen to her life.

But she had wondered lately, what had Aesop been rummaging through now? She didn't know what kind of books he was into, the look of his grey soft eyes twinkled of curiosity and intellect. For sure he would be into more of the dead? After all, he does spend time doing his job as a embalmer. So perhaps, he was looking into more of the human body, as to find more techniques?

"You know, just because you lost today, doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad survivor," Aesop suddenly spoke, voice hushed behind the mask of his. "We all have those days, and I don't blame that you feel like a burden."

Red felt chills run down her spine, tilting her head to the side to get a better look at the introverted male at the corner of the library. Did he just talk to her? For sure it was just her own imagination, as it was unusual to have the embalmber even let out a sentence to her. But as she came to terms with her answer, only then did she find the man standing in front of the chair she sat on, the moonlight barely shadowing his locks of grey. Only wearing his white button-up blouse and grey pants, Aesop's tired eyes looked down upon the curious gaze of the girl.

Awkwardly, Red could only look away as Aesop refused to let his eyes wander. With a red tint on her cheek, she was glad the darkness of the night sky overcast the shadow of her face.

"So.." she started, "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"I could say the same thing to you, but I guess none of us could sleep yet I suppose?"

Shit, he had a point. But even with his unusual behavior, Aesop had only left a comforting aura around the room, the silence and his company giving a slight reassurance to Red's undying doubts. Playing with her thumbs, she let the man take over the conversation.

"You know, if you ever get anxious or anything... you can always come to me," Aesop hid his rosy cheeks behind  his mask, a layer of fabric disposing a frequent feeling of fondness over the female survivor. He had known the feeling she had often felt, the horrible moment and realization of panic and unknowing the outcome of a match had also gotten him overwhelmed. The scars of anxiety lingered under his skin, and every thought of being chaired and unable to help his teammates had gotten himself in a similar state of fear.

Red finally turned her head to the side, inspecting the beautiful pale face of the man she had never knew she could be able to bond with. But with the similarities of being anxious and the fear of both losing to the doubts swirling in their head, it wasn't a surprise they would click.

"Thanks..." she softly said, a rare smile stretched from her soft lips. She could feel her heart beating at unfamiliar rates, the cloud-like feeling was like a peek of a heavenly garden. And sitting at that garden, laid Aesop, the embalmer that also stolen her red rose. He had picked from the stems, through thorns that she grew between herself and everybody else, and into her vulnerable state. In a long time, she was able to find someone to lean on, and only now did she realize....

This feeling she had been missing was the kind that had bloomed in her garden— of which she found it her safe place..

A/N: I'm not sure if I did this request right ^^; Also sorry for the delay, I have been pretty busy because of the holidays and following exams