Chapter Text
Recluse awoke in a soft bed, orange light spilling onto his eyelids. As he opened his eyes to look around, he was hit with a realization.
He wasn't in his room with the Sage, where he thought he last fell asleep. No. He was in his room.
Recluse grasped at his throat, the cuffs on his wrists clinked against the metal collar and chain adorning his neck. He was chained to the wall at the head of the bed.
As he panicked, he heard loud footsteps outside the door. They were approaching him, slow and deliberate. The door swung open to reveal a cookie.
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Oh Witches
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It was him
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Caramel Nougat Cookie
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.
The Recluse scrambled away, his back hitting the headrest. He could feel slow tears tracing his cheeks. His face was plastered with an expression of pure fear.
Caramel Nougat only watched. He enjoyed seeing Recluse like this.
“Aww, I missed you too.”
Caramel Nougat approached the bed. Recluse tried to run, but his chain was only long enough to reach the edge of the bed.
“Now now, no need to run. I just came to relieve some stress. Today was rough, you know.”
Recluse didn't say a word. He just looked at the cookie in sheer terror. He was wearing a pitiful excuse for robes, thin but relatively soft.
He climbed onto the bed, letting his heavy jacket and button up shirt fall to the ground behind him. He grabbed Recluse's leg, pulling him back.
He practically tore the robes off of Recluse, exposing him to his bare dough.
“Let's get this over with, eh?”
He grabbed Recluse's wrists pulling them above his head. He leaned over Recluse, pinning him in. He began to unbuckle his belt, the soft clink sending shivers down Recluse's spine.
Recluse stared at him, pure terror in his eyes-
˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ . ★⋆. ࿐࿔
. ˚ * ✦ . . ✦ ˚ ˚ .˚ ✦ . . ˚ . ੈ ˳·˖✶ ✦
Recluse shot up from the bed. He couldn't see anything, but he still felt His hands on him. He felt Him grabbing his legs and pulling on his hair.
Recluse began to sob. He was quiet, sure if he was too loud he would wake Him. He was trembling now, still smelling faint caramel in the air, when suddenly-
“.. Recluse..?”
He jumped back, nearly falling off the bed. The cookie he could only guess was Him was moving closer. Recluse panicked. He thought if he apologized he might get out of whatever punishment was waiting for him.. though, that didn't work often…
It was hard for him to speak, just trying to vocalize made him nauseous.
“.. i-i'm sorry… m’ sosososo sorry.. didn't mean to wake you… m’ sorry.. please…” His voice was shaky and full of pure terror. He tried his best to hide it, but it was futile.
Once the Sage's eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, he could see the Recluse. He was curled up against the headboard, trying desperately to cover himself with pillows and blankets. He was shaking so violently he could hardly pull the covers over his knees.
“.. m’ sorry.. please go- back to sleep… i-i swear i won't wake you again…” his voice was still small and muddled by his own sobbing.
“.. Recluse, it's alright… I'm not upset that you woke me.. do you want to talk..?” Sage did his best to speak softly, making his tone inviting and gentle.
Recluse was still huddled in his makeshift barrier when Sage spoke. He listened to the words carefully, playing them back in his head.
It took Recluse a moment to realize who this cookie was. He could vaguely make out the glowing speckled stars in Sage's hair, and the soft tone he used when speaking to him.
“... m’ sorry.. sage…” the inflection of his voice was pitiful, drained after the small outburst.
“You're okay, you can relax.. Did you have a nightmare?” Sage held a composed expression, though still somehow soft and inviting.
The Recluse was silent for a moment, deciding not to speak, as his throat was already raw from crying. Instead he nodded, slow and expressive.
“Would you like me to hold you? It's alright if not,,”
The act of just being there had seemed to calm Recluse a significant amount, so Sage didn't want to push him back into a panic.
Recluse weighed his options, sit in his lackluster blanket-walled bastion of defence against the scarring imagery in his own mind, or escape to the Sage's warm and inviting arms.. the choice was obvious for him.
The hermit deconstructed his fortifications, discarding the excess pillows at the headboard, as there were still plenty where they were needed.
Swiftly yet gently, the Recluse scooted towards Sage, who in turn opened his arms into a low lying offer of comfort.
Recluse unceremoniously fell into his outstretched arms after making it just close enough to reach, his mind quickly catching up to his body's protest of his lack of uninterrupted sleep and earlier panic attack.. or attacks, he supposed…
The Sage cautiously pulled him into a closer embrace, after Recluse tried, and promptly failed, to move himself.
“Are you going to try and sleep again?” Sage inquired, unsure of what to do, as he prioritized ensuring the Recluse was comfortable in the new arrangement.
He was answered with the methodic lulling of the exhausted Recluse against his chest.
“.. would you like me to talk while you fall asleep..?” Sage flushed slightly at his own words, thinking it embarrassing to take pride in his voice being soothing,, rather than degrading and distasteful, according to the Recluse on multiple occasions..
To his surprise, Recluse lazily nodded again, pressing slightly farther into the hug.
“Well, let's see.. How about we talk about gardening! I've always found it so interesting how persistent some weeds can be, even growing resistant to pesticides….”
Recluse was teetering on the edge of sleep, the Scholar’s words blurring into a comforting background noise.
Just before the Recluse fell into the clutches of slumber, he could have sworn he heard the Sage deviate from his chosen topic and instead begin murmuring comforting words into his ear.
And just like that, with the Sage's hand softly combing through his hair, Recluse finally was allowed
rest, untainted by memories and instead filled with trodden paths through sunny fields of blueberries…