Work Text:
Your heart was pounding. This was it. This...This was going to solve everything. You flip through the pages eagerly like a child on Christmas day. You were finally going to be loved by all. You pause with a smile as you reach the exact page. The words were in another language you couldn't fully translate, but you can make out the important parts and that's all you needed.
Is this really worth it?
A voice, your voice asked you. What a stupid question. You begin pouring the ingredients into a small bowl, just enough to make exactly one cup. You're missing something. You look at the book then at the bowl and back again. A dreamers flower. They were rare, yes, but you had one. All you needed to do was grab it from the bedroom. You leave through the open door (What was the point of locking it when no one comes inside?) Through the hallways of paintings of your citizens, the kingdom, and a tapestry of your friends. Glass crunches under your shoes as you reach the room. The scent of lavender invades your senses and it's almost smoothing. almost. You go to the dresser where the flower sits, it's white petals giving a faint glow like moonlight. The blue card still sits underneath it. untouched. You reach for the flowerpot, but it catches the black fabric hanging behind it. You tug absent-mindedly trying to yank the flower free and the fabric releases it's grip, but falls to the floor leaving you face to face with...
The monster.
You freeze in shock. Staring at it and it staring back. Your grip tightens on the flowerpot tears welling up in your eyes and some trailing down your face. After today there won't be a monster. You force yourself to turn away and walk back the same way you came.
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You place the petals inside the bowl and let it and everything else boil. You double-check everything once again, everything's correct. You begin mixing the ingredients together, the color turning black, white, then a golden yellow. The smell was sweet, but also sour like it was holding a bitter truth. You let the thing sit for one minute before pouring it into a goblet.
You can still go back. It's not too late.
But you can't go back now. You bring the goblet to your lips and pour the liquid down your throat. It was bitter, so, so, bitter.
The world spins and the cup falls from your hands. Nausea is all you can feel for a moment, your head pounds like a drum and your ears start ringing. You try to grab something, anything to steady yourself. Your hands grasp something soft, warm. You try to look to what it is, but all you can see is colors, white, gold, and blue. You lean in towards the warmth. You swear you hear your name, but the ringing so loud. You feel arms wrap around you. You try to look again, your head pounding like someone was splitting you open. This wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to finally be accepted as another virtue. You sob. "It hurts so much." You whisper as you tighten your grip. You feel as though your dying, but are you? Is this how you go? Death by trying to get in the good grace of others? Tears dampen your collar, but they're not your own. You feel yourself fighting to stay awake. There was so much you still wanted to do. So much love you wanted to give. A confession that would stay silent forever. "T...Tell Blueberry milk..." The sentence dies on your lips as your grip on the stranger loosens. And the world fades to black.