Tw/cw
- Family abuse mentions
- Suicide
- Major character death
- Homophobia
- Murder, gore, blood etc.
Six year old Ro was laying down in her bed, looking at her mother who was about to tell a bedtime story so the little child could fall asleep. The woman was clearly unhappy with having to read to her daughter. Ro saw the displeasure in her motherâs eyes, she only showed kindness when Ro was well behaved, when she didnât fight, talk, or move if possible. Ro felt like she was choked, suffocated by all the rules she has to follow.Â
âDo you want mommy to tell you the story of why your vision is with no colour?â The woman asked, the fake smile glued to her face. Yes, Roâs mother was a cold woman, a cruel woman. After all the Beaufortâs were a cursed family, cursed with suicidal children, Satan's family, unable to be cleansed from sin.Â
Ro finally focused on her motherâs question. No colour. Thatâs how Ro saw the world, blacks, whites and grays. She didnât know why it looked this way, she hated it, she heard adults talking about how cute she looks in pink, how girly she looks.Â
âWill you tell me?â Ro asked, curiosity in those black empty eyes of hers. Empty like her mother, black like her fatherâs heart.Â
âOf course sweetie, mommy will tell you.â Fake smiles. She didnât even bother trying harder to make the smile feel real. Not bothered to show her daughter some love, grace her with warmth, or teach her about feelings and emotions. Religion, the only virtue this family had, other than pride and all the sin leaking from the shadows.Â
Roâs mother tucked her under the blankets, kissing the top of her head and tried her hardest to hide the disgust she felt through gritted teeth.Â
âListen and listen well Ro, I will tell this story only once.â The woman took a long breath before she started the story. âIn our world ever since Adam and Eve betrayed our Holy Father we were punished severely, seeing black and white is also a part of His great punishment. Luckily, Our Lord is forgiving and graced us with the ability to see his wonderful creation once we meet our soulmate, so when you meet a good boy Ro you will be able to see colour.â She said, the pain in her cold eyes visible even for the six year old. There were so many secrets she hid, from her daughter, husband and herself. So many things she was never able to accept.Â
âDid you start to see colour when you met daddy?â Ro asked, she knew the answer, she knew that what her mother would say was a lie, she caught on rather quickly. Maybe itâs the fact that she also canât see colour when a boy hits her? Instead of seeing pretty greens or pinks, she fights back, getting her dresses dirty and the boyâs nose broken.Â
âOf course honey, mommyâs world is so happy and colourful, she canât wait for her little jewel to see all the colours too.âÂ
Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.Lie. Lie. Lie.
All ms. Beaufort ever does is lie. Lie with a smile glued to her face, hiding the bruises and wounds her husband leaves on her. No one will hear her screams, no one will see her tears, no one besides her daughter who she despises. If only she was never born⌠If only she killed her daughter when she still had time⌠Maybe she would be free now.Â
A few days have passed since the conversation, Ro was still seeing in three shades only. Her family called her a good girl or a dirty brat, depending on how Ro behaved. Ro did everything to be called a brat, a boy in girlâs disguise, a devil. Somehow it felt much better than being referred to as a girl, a girl⌠something that Ro felt to be unfit to her behaviour and interests...
While Ro was playing outside, throwing rocks at all crosses she saw and running away when upset grown ups came out to shout and chase her away. It gave her a feeling of freedom, cured her boredom, she just acted like all the boys did, copying their behaviour and claiming it as hers.Â
On one of these journeys Ro stumbled upon someone. normally she wouldnât care too much. It was just another kid, with strangely colored hair⌠wait. Colour? Ro looked down at the girl who she pushed to the ground when she was escaping one of the older ladies.Â
The world around them was⌠strange. The girl had long ginger hair, cold, piercing blue eyes and a scowl on her face. But Ro could see something more in those eyes of hers, fear. Sheâs afraid. Of what? Ro? No.. thatâs not it. Itâs something way deeper than that. Before Ro could do anything, her motherâs voice reached her ears.Â
âRoselyn! Roselyn Beaufort! Apologise right this instant!â She said, grabbing her firmly by her forearm and basically throwing Ro down, not caring that the girlâs knees were scraped and bleeding.Â
Ro yelped in surprise, hissing when the rocks, small pieces of glass and gravel were basically stuck in her knees. She looked at the girl, shock from all the new colours still present in Roâs mind. She was intrigued, but she couldnât ask about anything with mother around, it was dangerous.Â
âIâm sorry for pushing you to the ground, please forgive me.â The apology wasnât genuine, wasnât even close to being one. Ro always said the same apology, it lost its meaning after being used so often. But no one cared, nothing in Angelwood was genuine, not even the faith the town was supposed to have. People didnât love God, they were afraid of him and even Ro knew that.Â
âI forgive you⌠Roselyn.â Thatâs all the girl said before she walked away, bidding farewell to Roâs mother. She acted strange, like she was ashamed or afraid of something. Ro was intrigued, and she was going to make it her life mission to figure this out.Â
For the next few days, Ro was following behind Ethereality like sheâs the girlâs shadow. Stalking behind her, ditching all of her favourite activities. The girl ignored Ro, or at least tried to, until one day she snapped.Â
âStop following me!â She suddenly shouted when Ro was walking closely behind her. Ro didnât back away, oh no, she was directly behind the girl, hands on her shoulder, keeping her in one place.Â
âOr what? Youâll push me? Scream? Cry? It took you days to react, you wonât do anything.â Ah yes, the ever confident Ro. Not even in front of a new âfriendâ will the behavior change.Â
âJust leave me alone Roselyn! Why are you insisting on following me?â Ro chuckled, the sound loud, filled with mockery. Ro figured out that Etherality also saw colour since the day they met, she noticed how curiously she watched her surroundings, Ro did the same.Â
âDonât act stupid, youâre supposed to be the big girl, the smart one.â Ro said, practically laughing at all the ways adults called Ethereality so perfect and well behaved. âYou see them too, I know it, you know it!â Ro was strangely aggressive, shaking the girl by her shoulders. Maybe she was mimicking the way her father treats her mother? After all, the parentsâ relationship is the only way for a child to figure out how affection is shown.Â
âStop! Stop this!â Ethereality shouted, pushing Ro to the ground. âYouâre delusional! I donât see any colour! And even if I did, it wouldnât be because of you. Girls can only like boys, end of story!â This made Ro laugh even more, she was laying on the ground new bruises on her arms and legs from the fall. Holding herself by the stomach and laughing maniacally. It was definitely the familyâs fault.Â
âOh you little angel, you saint! They told you that? Whoâs to decide what we can or we canât do? Humans?â Oh that was so amusing to her, maybe itâs her discovering the truth of this world at such a young age, or maybe how amusing Ethereaityâs reactions were? Whoâs to sayâŚ
âWelcome to Angelwood.â Roninâs head rose when he heard the old well known bitchy voice of Therâs. His lips twisted in a smirk.
Oh Ther, the person who made Ronin see colour, the person who was denying being his soulmate so much that he laughed in their face when they confessed that it might be true. He didnât care about the world being in colours, the only colour he needed to see was the one of Therâs eyes or maybe their annoyingly bright hair, the colour of their skin or lips.Â
âHah, no need to greet me babe, nothing ever changes in this shitty town. Itâs like last time.â He shrugged and looked down at them, his eyes lighting up. âI came to fetch you my darling dearest.â He said and pulled them in closer by their hand.Â
âRo- Iâm not going anywhere. Iâm to be Prom Queen, I wonât leave because of your whims.â They said and shot him a glare.Â
âOh, of course Angelwood girl. You canât leave without your crown can you?â He asked, a mocking glint in his eyes.
What a cocky bastard Ronin is. Annoyingly handsome bastard.Â
âWhat now? Staying to watch or what?â Ther asked.Â
âWatch you suffer? Yeah why fucking not, seeing you play this holy girl, itâll be a show of centuries.â He scoffed and leaned in closer. âIâll enjoy watching all of the people hanging from the gymâ ceiling.â He whispered and looked down at the wedding band that Ther was wearing. âAw, did our dear fucking Doughton already put his seal on you?â
âRonin donât, please-â Ther tried to stop him from talking while they were walking to wherever Ronin was taking them.Â
âStop what? He probably thinks that he can fucking own you, like youâre his trophy or whatever. I canât wait to wreck him up, break his fucking neck, watch the blood spill.â He was talking his mind out, not caring about Ther practically silencing him with their hand so he would hut up.Â
âShut up Ro! Please⌠Theyâll fucking hear you, all of them⌠and the angel too.â It was then where Ronin noticed how exhausted Ther looked.Â
They were much thinner than when he saw them last, their already unnaturally pale skin was almost as pale as his.Â
âTher⌠What the fuck is happening? Are youâŚ. doing this again?â He sounded desperate, who would want their soulmate, their partner to wither away like this? Definitely not Ronin Beaufort. He can be an asshole, the devil himself in Angelwoodâs eyes, but for fucks sake, he would never leave Ther in this state alone.Â
âItâs nothing Ro. I just⌠Iâm fine.â Of course they werenât and they knew that Ronin saw right through them. It was the thing they found the most annoying, that stupid soulmate connection and Roninâs observative nature were a curse and a blessing at the same time.Â
Luckily Ther also seen right through him, especially when the two of them were younger. They saw his anger, how he tried to hide the bruises or how he stopped himself from crying out his frustrations when it all was too much for a child to take. Ther wouldnât comment on anything, they would just get close and let him pretend that he just needs to sleep on their shoulder.Â
âNothing my ass, itâs the Prom Queen shit, isn't it?â He asked through gritted teeth. âOr maybe itâs Craig? Maybe you should finally fuckign slice his throat, cut his eyes out, gut him open and let all of this bullshit drop.â It wasnât a question. Ronin knew that itâs what Ther needs, they need Craigâs blood spilled, they need to get all of this out.Â
âI⌠No Ro, heâs⌠heâs my boyfriend.â They chose to deny it. They needed to deny it. Ther needs to keep this act up, theyâre not Ther, theyâre Ethereality, a pretty girl, Angelwoodâs saint girl.Â
Or thatâs how the town shaped them. Took them apart, broke their bones, poisoned their brain⌠Maybe Ronin is the only one who truly sees them? Maybe thatâs what the soulmate thing is about, you see colours and secrets, nothing is able to stay hidden from you, especially if your name is Ronin fucking Beaufort. The son of the cursed bloodline, devil boy and proud Satanâs spawn.Â
âCome on darlinâ, you want this. Kill Craig, then the rest of this town⌠And we can go somewhere far, as far as youâd like.â Ronin whispered tempting promises into Therâs ears. Persuading them into self claiming their freedomâŚ
And Ther wasnât that hard to break, especially with Ronin around.Â
Craigâs body was at their feet. His face forever frozen in one of fear, he was screaming while he was dying.Â
âAll that screaming and for what? Ah, Craig, Craig.â Ronin chuckled and kicked his head with his shoe. âAlmost made me feel bad for ya, almostâŚâ Ronin spat at him.Â
âAnd what was it about respecting the dead?â Ther asked, looking at the bloody crowbar in their hand. âWhere did you even get this?â They asked, dropping it to the ground and watching as it bounced off of the corpse.Â
âYou donât hafta know everything, love.â He chuckled and looked at how the body looked.
Guts spilled out, Craigâs legs crashed, his bones were basically flat, broken was an understatement. His blood was splayed everywhere, on the grass, swings, trashcan. It was a gory mess, and Ronin was proud of it. Letting Ther go all out has always been one of his favourite activities, although they usually didnât actually kill, just got their frustrations out by hitting Roninâs torso and crying, or shouting at the stars and sky.Â
âJust make sure to not give it back, I donât need anyone having brains and whatever else on their tools.â Ther said, guessing that Ronin probably stole it, stealth was the least of the sins he committed against humanity.Â
âAwh of course, Iâll take it as a memorial of your spilled blood baby.â He walked up to them. âWouldâja grant me this dance?â He asked after he bowed and outstretched his hand towards Ther.Â
âHow romantic.â They huffed and took his hand.Â
They needed music. They danced, sharing this moment of peace in between chaos. It was a truly grotesque moment, two teenagers dancing next to a corpse, swaying to the sound of wind in perfect harmony, no words needed, just stares and Roninâs smirks.Â
âYouâre so fucking beautiful like this. Bloody and broken, my perfectly imperfect rot.â Ronin whispered.Â
âRot? Just like you?â They asked, their voice also hushed to a whisper.Â
âWeâre rot. You and I both, love.â He leaned in, connected their lips in a slow deliberate kiss.Â
If only he knew that this would be their last kiss⌠Maybe he shouldâve kidnapped Ther, take them away when he still couldâŚ
Maybe now he would still feel full, see everything he couldnât imagine himself to miss seeing. Maybe he wouldnât stand in front of a fucking grave. . .Â
Ther basically told Ronin to return home, it was shortly before their Prom, they didnât want Ronin there. They âwantedâ to be Prom Queen. And Roninâs protests were ignored.Â
So now heâs back to where he came from, everything in his small cramped house a mess, the perfect image of his mind. He felt his heart ache every time he thought of Ther, they could share some sort of connection in feelings, he felt Therâs pain, sometimes unsure if their pain was his or actually theirs.Â
He felt frustrated, weak, angry. Why did he agree to leave? Why couldnât he fucking push themâŚÂ
He knew the answer. He didnât want to be the same as everyone. Pushing Ther would only hurt them, he needed control yeah, but not when the person he want to keep under his care was controlled their whole life, unable to decide one thing for themselves without a punishment.Â
âFuck!â He shouted and threw the bloody crowbar to the ground. His chest was rising and falling, he tried to stay somewhat calm, tried to tell himself that his decision was right, that when he comes back after he gets enough money for new plain tickets Ther will want to go with him⌠He just needs to wait six months, half a year worth of collecting money, that should be easy.Â
Maybe if he didnât take up working in a small workshop owned by an elderly mechanic he would have an easier time getting money faster, but no one wanted to hire a whipster like him, he wasnât surprised. With his temper it was hard to keep clients as regulars from time to time.Â
While Ronin was losing himself in his thoughts he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head and a wave of distress falling over him, he had to lean on a wall.Â
âWhat the fuck⌠Ther⌠what the fuck is going on thereâŚâ
He hissed out, trying to bear the pain through gritted teeth, he has no chance against his soulmate's pain, he can only wait this out, wait for them to feel better, if that moment ever arrivesâŚÂ
Maybe he should have been a stubborn bastard and kill off every fucking student at the great ball when he still had the chance. Maybe it would ease Therâs need to stay as the perfect Angelwood girl, the saint amongst saints, and the follower of angels, even if they tire them out and cause them to lose sleep, loose themselves and slowly die out, losing their light.Â
Maybe thatâs why they were made for eachother? A self made devil, a man who had to create the male shell for himself, and a person who holds onto the memory of a girl, a painful memory that they were shaped into. Maybe Ronin was birthed into this world to keep Therâs nature under control?Â
Maybe their rotten connection was deeper than the two of them thought.
Thatâs how long Ronin had to wait.Â
During this time he felt Therâs emotions stronger than ever, the pain was never ending, it made his life harder, almost unbearable, it was mostly their heart aching.Â
Sometimes he couldn't take it, wanting to gut himself open just to stop feeling this, but then he reminded himself of going to Ther, saving them this time for sure.Â
Now, after a twelve hour flight, and a long drive on a bus, he was almost ready to get out, ready to find Ther, ready to corrupt them, this time for good.Â
But, while Ronin was standing in front of the door, ready to leave the bus, his vision turned black and white, Deprived of all colour.Â
It felt weird. He also felt this weird sense of emptiness? As if he just lost something deep within his heart. He chose to ignore it, blaming it on his fucked up mind. It made sense, a lot of sense. At least until he got out of the bus and a memory of his mother came back to him.Â
âRoselyn, remember, if you ever lose all colour it means that your soulmate is gone. And that is the worst feeling ever⌠Not that mommy ever experienced it, mommy has daddy and he is alive.â Oh, those eyes full of lies and sorrow. Her world was empty, gray, no colour present in her world, and itâs all because she wasnât careful that one night⌠âI wish you the same happiness Ro, I hope you will feel exactly the same way mommy does.â
Ronin didnât understand these feelings then. But now he does, and he feels them all too well. His mother cursed him. cursed him with the Beaufort bloodline, unlucky sinners forsaken by heaven and God.Â
With his motherâs words in mind, the colour deprived world in front of him and the ever present emptiness he rushed to Therâs house. Pushing everyone out of his way, not caring about anyone anymore, he has to make sure that heâs wrong, that his mother was wrong.Â
He reached their house, climbing the stairs to their room. His whole body felt heavy, mind was too loud, Ronin felt nauseous, like he was about to faint at any given moment.Â
He pushed the door open, his eyes glued to the floor and then he looked up.
The sight in front of him was the worst thing ever. Ther. His Ther. Hanging up from the ceiling, thin, pale and unbreathing. Frozen in time like a doll, a doll with a rope hugging their neck.Â
Ronin took a few cautious steps towards the body.Â
âTh⌠Ther⌠It isnât fucking funny. I know you're alive. Youâre not fucking dead.â He said, his voice laced with despair, pain, all of the sorrow. He didnât feel this way when he saw his mother in this situation.Â
âTher, fuck, open your eyes. Open your fucking eyes!â He basically shook the body. Then he desperately looked for a knife, once he found one he cut the rope and caught their still warm body.Â
âTher! Ther! Ther!â He was shouting, sliding to the floor with the dead body in his arms. He couldnât believe it, how could he let this fucking happen?
How could he lose control? How could he disappoint his rotten saint so much?Â
Now, with nothing but emptiness filling his body he could only hold their body.Â
Even his heart was slowly washing all the emotions away, as if it was doomed to never beat for anyone again, as if Ther was truly his one and only love forever.Â
After all, having a soulmate is both a curse and a blessing.Â