Work Text:
Silverbell cookie watched as fireflies swarmed through the trees, lighting up the hidden paths that the forest had to offer. They were the only light source seeing as the trees didn't allow for any star light to shine through and they had stepped too far from the faerie kingdom for the soft silver lights of the streets to matter. He stopped, waiting for Grapevine cookie to follow behind him. As much as the other pretended to be from around here, his lack of knowlege of the woods betrayed him. His steps were clumsy and every once in a while he'd stumble over a root or get caught in the bushes. It was kind of adorable really. Or atleast it would be if Silverbell was a little less observant and a little more naive. He looked behind him as Grapevine gave a strangeled cry, having almost fallen face first onto the ground for the fourth time since they had left the kingdom. Silverbell could see the other visibly shrinking into himself when he noticed his stare. He caught up again and Silverbell held back a smile.
Finally they reached a clearing, the one that Silverbell used to come to whenever he needed to clear his head when he was younger. One where moss grew thick and the trees leaned into eachother like gossiping elders. Funny, considering gossiping was all the other cookies seemed to do these days. The fireflies danced around them, their glow brushing Silverbells armor in flickers. He nodded for Grapevine cookie to follow him, sitting down on a fallen tree stump. After a moment of contimplating the other sat next to him, just a bit too far from Silverbell to seem casual.
Neither of them spoke.
Silverbell liked the silence that wrapped around grapevine cookie when he wasn't performing. No faked smiles or malicious curiosity. He tries so hard to act like he belonged here. And yet his eyes always seemed to look for an escape, searching out the borders of the kingdom as if he was waiting for something to pull him away. He never lied but he didn't tell the truth either. and silverbell didn't ask, too afraid he might already know the answer.
He glanced sideways. The light caught on grapevine cookies cheekbones and on the strands of dark hair that always slipped loose around his ears. He was still. Unsually still. And, just like always, glancing around the clearing, like an animal looking for an escape, just incase the threat caught up to it afterall.
"I used to come here a lot when i first joined the knights of the silver tree. To calm myself down after bad days when i just couldn't get my aim right. It's the most quiet part of the forest."
Grapevine glanced at him and for just a second silverbell swore his eyes were black instead of their usual soft violet.
"You? getting your aim wrong? Well that dosen't sound like you at all."
Silverbell smiled. "I was pretty young. Im good with a bow but even i started somewhere you know?" They stayed quiet for a moment.
"What about you? Where did you go to when you were stressed and still lived here?"
Grapevine cookie thought for a moment that dragged on for just a little too long. "I always liked the library." He shrugged. "Though I havn't been there since I came back."
Silverbell hummed in aknowlegement, getting lost in his thoughts. Something was telling him that perhabs that wasn't a complete lie. Afterall Grapevine cookie did seem interested in reading. In the rare cases that Silverbell was the one to approach him he always found the other either writing or reading something. Perhabs he could take him to the faerie library some day. If Mercurial knight cookie was here he'd tell silverbell to get himself together. That Grapevine was not to be trusted and that any access he had to private scrolls of the kingdom could cause harm in the end. And Silverbell cookie wanted nothing more than for him to be wrong.
"Maybe i could take you there some time." The words slipped out before silverbell could stop himself.
This time Grapevines eyes stayed on him, not looking away.
"I'd like that." He hummed before looking down at his hands.
Normally Silverbell only came here alone. He'd listen for the rare sounds of leaves russtling or daydream about easier times. But now that he had Grapevine cookie with him it was like his mind couldn't appreciate the beauty of silence. He wanted to ask his companion so many things. First of all he wanted to know his name. Not the fake one that he had given himself in order to fit in but the one that he felt home in. He wanted to see what he looked like beneath the disguise. Wanted to hear his voice when he wasn't pretending. He wanted to hear his own words, not the ones that he had carefully practiced.
Silverbell had always hated his own curiosity. It made him reckless. Mercurial knight cookie would've noticed Grapevine's schemes and immideatly called him out on it, making sure that Grapevine cookie would never be able to carry the kingdoms gossip outside its walls. But Silverbell waited. He wasn't even sure for what. He just wanted to know more.
He watched Grapevine cookies wings twitch. They were set just a little too low to actually be faerie wings. That had been one of Silverbell's first clues to his companions false identity. He could tell that Grapevine cookie wanted to break the silence. He could tell that he was uncomfortable. He decided to let the other man stay uneasy. He had no reason to ease his suffering. He observed his fidgeting hands and wandering eyes. His friend's carefully crafted mask was finally cracking.
Grapevine cookie was just about to break the silence, probably with akward small talk, when Silverbell decided to stand up. He turned to the other and extended a hand.
"Come on. I want to show you something."
He said, giving the other man a small smile. Grapevine cookie looked at him like he had hung the moon into the sky before taking his hand. It was cold and hesitant. Silverbell didn't let go.
They walked through the trees hand in hand, Grapevine cookie letting Silverbell guide him. His friend didn't trip on any roots this time. Their path was growing lighter, illuminated by bioluminescent leaves and the glowing spores polluting the air. He remembered watching Grapevine cookie constantly choke on them in his first few weeks here. Back then he had told himself that the only reason he wasn't used to them was because he had been away for that long. How delusional he had been.
They turned a final corner, Silverbell pushing away the vines blocking their sight. He led Grapevine cookie onto a small opening, finally letting go of his hand. For a moment he thought he felt Grapevine's hand hovering next to his.
At the end of the opening stood a huge stone, illuminated by multiple lanterns surrounding it. Silverbell hadn't been here often during the last few weeks. He had been too busy chasing after Grapevine cookie, drawn in by his mystery. He took slow, calculated steps before sitting down at the stone. He glanced behind him, watching Grapevine's slender frame akwardly shift in the corner of his eye.
"Come here."
He commanded softly. Grapevine cookie complied.
"This is Elder Faerie cookies grave. Im not sure how well you knew him before..." He trailed off, mind wandering off into memories he wished to repress. He cleared his throat.
"I wanted you to see it. You weren't here when he went and I wasn't sure if anyone had shown you his grave yet."
He looked up at Grapevine cookie, studying his face for a reaction. He was met with hesitant, empty eyes. Grapevine cookie seemed to study him too, as if to calculate how he should react. Then, he moved to sit down next to Silverbell.
Silvebell didn't know what reaction he wanted from Grapevine cookie. He didn't think he would be able to stay composed if Grapevine cookie made up some story about how well he had known Elder Faerie. He didn't want him to stay quiet either.
He waited.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
Grapevine's velvety voice sounded through the clearing, clearly rehearsed and thought through.
He didn't need to say more. Silverbell told himself that that was all he had wanted. He had no reason to complain. If he was in Grapevines shoes he wouldn't know what to say either.