Aftermath | Rated: G | reader pronouns: none CW: none AO3 link Part two to "Slumber"!
Woken up, you're faced with an important decision while dealing with the aftermath of Malleus' overblot.
Your dreams were whimsical. Of you playing in a field of flowers, to going to an amusement park, then finally, to you relaxing on the shore of an ocean. It was just you — nobody else was around as you sat on the beach, gazing out at the ocean serenely. The sun seemed to be setting, but it had been for a while, hanging stagnantly in the air and dying the sky of reds and purples that any photographer would have killed to capture.
It was just you, on this beach, staring out at the ocean and trying to remember why you had felt so stressed.
Your memories were jumbled. The world of Twisted Wonderland seemed a lifetime away, small fragments barely seeping into your mind. It was hard to make sense of them. At some point, you felt stressed again, as if your peaceful life on this beach wasn't natural, but the moment you got that feeling, a fog seemed to settle over your mind.
No. Everything was just fine.
You don't know how long you had been sitting on the beach when you finally got up, turning around. The scenery morphed into a clearing into the woods, and despite the strangeness of it, you didn't find any fault with it. The trees dipped low, creating an almost hidden nook in the forest as wildflowers dotted the clearing. It was magical, breathtaking, and...
Yet, something felt off.
That fog threatened to take over your mind, its soothing fingers trying to reassure you that you were safe, but this time you brushed it off as you noticed somebody else in the clearing, snoozing away peacefully on the grass. He had to have been around your age, with glass-like skin and silver hair that spread out around him like silk.
Up until now, you hadn't seen a single other soul in this (reality? dream? space?) place, and so naturally curiosity took ahold of you. For some reason, he looked familiar, but you weren't sure you had ever seen him in your life.
In a bed of thorns laid Silver, peacefully resting, an odd green glow surrounding him.
Silver... Silver?
Your head started to hurt a bit, causing you to grimace as you took a step forward. Your legs felt like lead, but the closer you got, the more your mind seemed to regain its clarity until you were collapsing by his side, trying to clumsily shake the teen awake. Fragments of your memory were still floating around, not quite allowing you to piece together the full picture, but you understood enough.
Something was dearly wrong.
"Silver... Silver! You have to wake up! Please..."
The boy stirred, purple eyes fluttering open as his eyebrows knit together, mumbling your name in confusion.
"Where... are we?"
You wished you had the answer to that question. You didn't, though, so instead you tried your best to fill the knight in on the situation. "I believe... We're both under a sleeping curse. Malleus... He...." It was a struggle to tell Silver that his lord overblotted, but Silver seemed to get the memo, a heavy sigh leaving him.
"I understand." Closing his eyes in thought for a moment, he seemed to be dredging up his own memories of what had happened before Malleus had cursed him. "You found a way home, didn't you?"
"Ah..." So, that really was the cause. Malleus couldn't stand the thought of you going back... ". . . Yes. Crowley made a breakthrough, and I had told Malleus about it."
Silver nodded, standing up before helping you up. He didn't seem as lethargic as he sometimes was; was it perhaps because he technically was asleep in your reality? Neither of you planned on staying here long enough to find out.
As more memories seeped through, your surroundings seemed to shift. You were still in the clearing, but no longer did it look magical. The flowers were wilted, the trees now without leaves and all jagged branches. Thorns seemed to poke out in the darkness, viscous black ink dripping onto the ground. Where the overblot droplets met the ground, it seemed to corrode, the grass and flowers folding in on themselves and disintegrating.
No longer was this world enchanting. It had warped into its nightmarish actuality, as if to punish you for fighting against Malleus' curse.
How did you two get out, though? Malleus was one of Twisted Wonderland's best mages, and you were a magicless human from a different universe. Was there even a way out for you?
Silver nudged you along, hand on his sword. "Come on." You didn't need to be told twice, following close behind him as he lead you through a narrow path in the woods. Not for a second did you take your eyes off him, afraid that if you looked away for even a moment, he would disappear and your surroundings would shift once more. That worry never came to fruition, though. Without any other problems, Silver had managed to guide you both out of the woods and at the entrance of the Diasomnia dorm.
The sky was dark green, almost black with the storm clouds hovering menacingly above the dorm, and everything was covered in thick thorns, blocking entrance. Withdrawing his sword, though, Silver made quick work of the thorns, allowing you two to pass and enter the building.
The dorm was empty. Everything cast alight in green, you had never seen Diasomnia look so dead before, dust floating around in the air as everything else seemed eerily still. Like you had walked into a picture, everything stuck motionless and unchanging for eternity. Nothing else could be heard besides your quiet footsteps, yours and Silver's steady breathing. Where did you two go in the dorm?
Thankfully, your question was answered. Some hallways were blocked by thorns too thick for Silver to cut down, and without his pen, there was only so much you all could do. The thorns seemed to lead you and Silver down a path until you eventually made it to the room you had met Malleus in. The doors, which had previously been barred shut in your reality, were now open, one door looking as if it had been almost ripped off its hinges.
The air seemed to shimmer around you as you and Silver stepped in, the scene before you contorting into something almost cartoonish as if you were looking through a bubble. You recognized the people in the room, but you struggled to make sense of the scene before your eyes. Leona, Ruggie, and Jack all seemed to have confronted Malleus, the large phantom behind him reminiscent of a huge dragon. Lilia and Sebek were somewhat in the middle between the Savanaclaw students and their dorm leader, trying to appeal to Malleus. What was most jarring, though, was what was floating behind Malleus...
Floating on beds of thorns, were you and Silver, ensnared and glowing lightly. You both looked so peaceful in your sleep, but when you looked closer you could see the trail of dried tears on your cheek, a light smudge of black on the corner of your lips.
Silver seemed frozen beside you, taking in the scene with a severity you had never seen on his face before now.
The others were talking, but you couldn't hear them. It sounded distant and warbled, as if your ears were clogged with water. It was a strain to even hear them, let alone try and make out what they were saying. Likewise, reading lips was impossible with how the scene rippled like a disturbed pond, constantly moving the images.
Slowly, though, the phantom behind Malleus seemed to dissipate, his attire changing back to his normal Diasomnia form. You and Silver had clearly arrived at the tail end of whatever confrontation had broken out as Lilia stepped forward to comfort Malleus. From behind, yours and Silver's bodies ( god that was so weird to think about) were gently lowered to the crown, the thorns dissolving into thousands of green sparkles.
And yet, you still remained asleep, even as Jack ran towards you, catching you before you could hit the ground (not like you had plummeted to behind with, you had been let down so softly ). You could barely hear him, but it didn't take a genius to guess he was calling out your name, trying to wake you up.
You looked beside you towards Silver, only to see him gone. Glancing back at his body, you saw the way Lilia had gone over to him, kissing his forehead gently, seeming to break the curse that had caused him to sleep.
Why were you still asleep? Malleus was brought back to his senses; why were you still cursed?
Jack had turned to Malleus in anger, and you could tell by the look on Leona's face, his ears pressed back, that he was also berating Malleus. The fae in return had slowly gotten up and walked over to you, Jack seeming to hover over your body for a moment before stepping back. His eyes didn't leave Malleus or you, but Malleus took no notice of him. His attention was solely on you as he caressed your face, a thumb swiping over your lip to rid it of the black ink that had smudged when he kissed you earlier.
Malleus murmured something, but you couldn't hear it. His grip on you tightened as he pulled you closer, and he stooped down, lips hovering over your own for a moment. He hesitated to kiss you, before moving up slightly, lips pressing softly onto your forehead as if to coax you awake from the sleeping curse he had inflicted upon you.
The bubble you were in, watching this scene, suddenly popped.
Your eyes felt unbearably heavy when you woke up, squinting them closed more before struggling to open them. You felt fatigued, your body drained as you looked up. All you could see was Malleus, holding you close and looking relieved to the point of tears as you finally were freed from the curse he inflicted upon you.
When he spoke, he used your name, your true name and not 'Child of Man', and you found it hard to find yourself angry at him. You were much too tired for anger, or any other spiteful emotion.
"We need to... Talk," you slurred out to him, before sleep took you once more, body needing to recuperate from the magic.
When you next awoke, it was not in the arms of Malleus, but in the infirmary. Sunlight filtered in brightly through the windows, and judging by the amount of small gifts and flowers littering the window sill (most gifts shoddily wrapped), you could safely assume you had been out for a decent amount of time.
You didn't wake alone.
Snoozing on your lap was Grimm, and when you shifted he immediately bolted up, eyes wide as he noticed you were awake.
"MY HENCHMAN!"
Practically bawling, Grimm threw himself in your arms, and you immediately hugged him back. Shushing him as you would a scared child, you glanced out the window, glad to see the sky was back to normal, no thorns to be seen.
After Grimm had finally let go, your day was filled with visitors from all sorts of dorms. You had apparently been asleep for three days — three days as your body got much-needed rest from what it had been through. The rest had caused you to feel rejuvenated, if not a bit restless as you were forced to spend one more day in the infirmary. Your friends had used this time to swing by, expressing well wishes and filling you in on everything you had missed. Even Crowley had popped in, letting you know that everything was set for you to go home now should you wish to leave (which was very fun to explain to Grimm and the ADeuce duo, who had been in the room when Crowley decided to swing by).
Despite all of your visitors, though, Malleus never came. It wasn't until late in the night, when Ace and Deuce managed to drag Grimm off, that Lilia had swung by your room by himself. Despite his usual smile, the air felt somewhat heavy, and you spoke first, suddenly feeling tired once more at the conversation that was ahead of you.
"I didn't mean to hurt Malleus," you started, but Lilia shushed you.
"It is not your fault that he overblotted," he cut you off. "In honesty... It may have been brewing for a while. As his guardian, I should have noticed the problem in his feelings, but instead I fed into them. But please, do not hold this against him, either."
"I don't." Your response was mindless and swift, but after taking a moment to think about it, you realized you really didn't hold it against him. He hadn't been in his right mind, and while you perhaps were a bit frustrated with how everything had played out, anger wasn't one of the emotions you felt towards your friend.
Still, you wanted to talk it out.
Lilia had been speaking, but you hadn't truly been paying attention when you unapologetically cut him off. "I want to talk to Malleus." Realizing moments after how rude your interruption was, you could feel yourself flush. "Er... Please." If anybody could convince Malleus to come see you, it'd probably be Lilia. Sure enough, Lilia didn't take your interruption or you ignoring him to heart — he only gave you an enigmatic smile, patting you twice on the head before heading out to probably find his ward.
It was only a few moments before a couple of fireflies floated into the room, one landing on your nose and distracting you as the very man you had been waiting for all day appeared. The firefly on your nose floated off, allowing you to give Malleus your undivided attention as he shifted in place, arms crossed. He didn't meet your eyes for a moment, and you had to think — for somebody usually imposing, he seemed more reminiscent of a scolded child, or a pouty toddler.
You sighed. You were just glad he had been pulled back to reality from his overblot.
"I'm not mad."
Finally, his gaze met yours, searching your face to see if you were lying. When he didn't respond, you continued, leaning back in your bed. "I'm... A bit upset with how everything turned out. I don't appreciate being put under a sleeping curse." Your voice was stern, and you made sure to not break your gaze from Malleus. "But..." Your shoulders slumped. "I can't find it in me to be mad at you."
"You should be," he murmured. ". . . I hurt you."
He was right. You should be; and while you weren't mad, it didn't mean your relationship with him could just easily bounce back to normal. Overblot or not, he had broken your trust. It would take time to recover that, time which you may not even have should you choose to go back and stay in your world. You told him as much, wanting to be firm that, despite the lack of hostility, you did not condone what he did to you and Silver, watching as he seemed to slump slightly. He didn't argue, though — chances were, Lilia had given him a similar lecture.
Still...
"Crowley found a way to keep the portal stable should I choose to go home," you started slowly, gauging his reaction. "I don't have any magic, so I can't open it back up to come back, but if somebody were to open it on this end for me to allow me to come back..." You trailed off, hoping for Malleus to catch the hint.
He did. "Child of Man... Are you saying you'd want to come back to this world?"
Did you? You weren't entirely sure yet, but the thought of leaving your friends behind hurt, and you figured it may be better for you to visit here than to have them visit your world. The thought of somebody like Malleus, or the Leech brothers, or even Ace in your world was enough to make you shudder at the chaos. Best to not deal with that.
"At the very least, it'll be possible for me to travel between the two. So I won't be gone forever."
"You'd want to come back, even after what happened?"
Even after I almost cursed you to sleep for a thousand years? He seemed to mean.
You leaned forward, gently grabbing his hand, calling out his name softly. He watched you carefully, emerald eyes hopeful. "I... Care for you a lot, Malleus. Of course, I care for my other friends greatly, but..." You busied yourself with looking at your conjoined hands, watching as your fingers intertwined with his own. "You hold a special place in my heart, even with what had happened. I don't want to leave this world on such a dark note with you. I want... To continue to spend more time with you."
Your voice cracked at the end of your confession, and Malleus had finally closed the distance, pulling you into him in a comforting hug. You were still in bed, but he had sat down, practically pulling you into his lap as he held you close, your face buried in his chest. Fingers stroked your head, and while you couldn't see Malleus' face, you could imagine the soft look on it that he often donned when around you.
"Even now, you're not afraid of me... You're truly something else, my dearest Child of Man." An amused huff left him — at least, you think he was amused. "Truthfully... I don't want to part with you, even for a moment. If you'll allow me, I'll rebuild the trust between us. I, too, care for you greatly."
Pulling back slightly, Malleus tilted your chin up to meet his gaze. "I didn't ask back then, but I will ask now... Can I kiss you?"
Once again, it was your name, and not his nickname for you, that left his lips. Heart fluttering, you could only nod, allowing him to tenderly place his lips upon your own, a kiss soft and sweet and conveying all the emotions neither of you had spoken out loud. When you finally separated, you leaned your forehead against him once more, feeling somewhat tired from the long day of visitors and the heavy conversations.
Sensing your fatigue, Malleus once more stroked your head, holding you firm in his arms. "Rest. I'll stay right here."
Unlike before, when you had resisted sleep in Malleus' arms, knowing about the curse he had placed, you found yourself more willing to relax. There was no curse, or overblot, or betrayal here. It was just you and Malleus, and while you knew you'd need to rebuild that trust with him, for now, you felt safe in his arms.
And so, you allowed yourself to sleep once more.
