Their relationship couldn't be described with such conventional terms such as love or hate. It was far too complex of a relationship to even put it into words. But if he had to put it into a word, then he would simply describe it as tumultuous. Still, even then, that can't paint the picture for them; maybe nothing ever will, and he supposed he would have to just accept that.
Though it was hard to do that when the person of the hour was standing right outside of his door in the middle of the night, and by middle of the night, he means when everything outside is pitch black, only being lit up by the scarce street lights.
Though it's harder for awakened to get tired than the normal mundane, it has been a long couple of weeks for him. So, dispelling the clouds fogging his mind, he finally let his eyes take focus on her to see if he could notice any signs of something wrong — well, not that she shows it much anyways.
By now they must have been staring at each other for almost a minute, and it was growing more awkward by the second. He decided there's no point in stalling any longer.
"What brings you here at this hour, Cass?"
He hoped that trying to act casual would calm his nerves that were, for some reason unknown to him, acting up.
Only taking a moment to reply, she kept it simple.
"I don't think this is the right setting for the things I want to say. May I come in?"
Now his attempts to calm his nerves would have to be doubled down upon, her words being ominous — especially for a seer such as herself. Deciding he shouldn't make her wait another minute for a response, he decided to put his inner turmoil aside.
"Make yourself at home."
He could only hope his voice didn't give away his current chaotic mind, slowly closing the door after she entered, taking his words to heart as she immediately sat on the couch.
Not wanting to awkwardly sit next to her, which was not very ideal for a conversation in the first place, he sat at the other end of the couch at an uncomfortable angle where they could be face to face.
Now that he thought about it, did it really matter, as she couldn't see anyways?
Adjusting his body to be comfortable, he spoke.
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me? I'm assuming it's important since you came so late."
As if she didn't hear him, she began to talk once more.
"Would you mind brewing up a drink? This may drag on for a bit."
Though he wasn't obligated to listen to her, he did only moments later, coming back with a cold brew he had been letting steep for a day. Though coffee probably wasn't the best drink to have in the middle of the night, he wasn't trying to make her wait either.
He took the first sip of their respective drinks as she finally said what she came here to say.
"I want a future together."
He always thought it was in overdramatic webtoons that they spit out their drinks after hearing surprising news. Today he learned that it was, in fact, not overdramatic, as he spit it all over his carpet, coughing while trying to process what he just heard.
He took another sip of the coffee to stop the coughing. Surprisingly, it seemed to still be full even after he spit a large quantity of it out. Putting it in the back of his mind to clean the carpets after this, he set it down, finally noticing a smile adorning her face when he finally looked at her again, as if enjoying his reaction — which, in all honesty, she probably was.
Not giving him a chance to respond to her bold statement, she spoke as if she hadn't said anything before.
"I want a future together where we break off the trail fate has us on."
Her voice softened before speaking.
"So I'm sorry for what I'm doing now."
Confused by her words, he began to open his mouth, only to be met with a wave of exhaustion. Taking notice of her cup — that she never took a sip out of — a quarter of it was gone.
Bewildered and confused on how any normal drug could work on him, he called out to the shadows only to fall into their embrace as he entered a slumber.
---
Waking up, the first thing he did was try to rub his eyes, only to realize his hands and feet were bound by some sort of rope. Without hesitation, he pulled his arms and legs apart, assuming it was not a mundane rope, only to be met with it instantly snapping even without putting in the strength of an awakened.
He couldn't help but wonder if it was just theatrics.
While on that, his memory finally kicked in, remembering what happened, his keen senses being used to their maximum as he surveyed wherever he was.
That being a bedroom, it adorned with minimal decorations. Assuming it was Cassie's bedroom, it would make sense there would be no need for a blind girl to need such things — not that he had many even as someone with vision.
Deciding he's wasting enough time on meaningless thoughts and expecting the door to be locked, he almost kicks it down, only to be met with it already having been slightly cracked open, leaving no need for such things.
Carefully looking around in the empty hall, he calls out for the very person who put him in this situation.
"Cass! Are you there?"
With no response coming, he carefully made his way down the stairs, only to be met with a repugnant smell assaulting his nose.
Running to see what it was, he raced down the stairs. Could Cassie have finally gone insane — well, insane for the standards of non-mundane? After all, there was no sane person who is a part of the spell.
Is she possibly chopping up a body? Or worse, is he a ghost and his body is currently being chopped up?!
Finally making it down the stairs — which were in reality not that many but felt like hours of walking down them — he turned the corner only to be met with something that made him jump back.
It was Cassie.
Though she wasn't chopping up a body or his body, rather she was cooking — or at least attempting to cook — as she was burning whatever sludge she had in the pan, and it looked like bricks of charcoal in the other.
Confused, slightly scared, and also having the urge to throw the food away and cook a proper meal, worried about how she has been living up to this point. Though he probably shouldn't be worried for her, as she drugged and kidnapped him, he worried nonetheless.
Before he could speak, she turned around, a smile once more adorning her face as if she wasn't currently cooking the next nightmare spell.
She spoke.
"Good morning, Sunny. You've woken up just in time. Breakfast's almost done."
Not wanting to waste time on theatrics, he walked up to her, spinning her to face towards him, his face as serious as it could be — not that she could see it anyways.
"I think we need to have a talk about what just happened last night, Cassie."
Her smile dropped, but her face wasn't stained with anger or sadness or anything of the sort. It was as if she was completely calm in this situation. Turning in the direction of the food, she sighed before speaking once more.
"I already told you, didn't I? I want a future together. Though it may not be the type of future that is usually associated with those words, it's a future nonetheless."
Just like the previous day, she didn't give him a chance to reply, speaking again.
"Honestly, even I get embarrassed at times, and asking someone of the opposite sex to stay with me in a home alone for some time would be quite unbecoming."
Sunny's mouth agape, completely bewildered, he couldn't stop the overflow of words that spilt from his lips.
"First of all, you think drugging and kidnapping someone is less unbecoming than simply asking someone to stay with you?"
He wondered for a moment how his tone was — most likely a mix of confusion and slight anger.
"Secondly, do you not live with your parents? That's what it seemed to be like not too long ago."
He could already tell the current state of things was getting to him before speaking again.
"And finally, what the hell are you saying?!"
Not even waiting a moment to take in his words, as if already ready for all those questions, she answered them all at once.
"I suppose it was just more practical for me. I bought them tickets to take a vacation for 2 weeks on another continent. And lastly, for these 2 weeks, I simply wish for us to try to live as if we were in the future together. Not as lovers, not as comrades, not even as friends — just as us."
He was taken aback by her explanations. Shoving the first two to the back of his mind, he focused on the third and last one.
What could she mean by that? Why now, and why in the first place? And lastly, what's with this future talk?!
But in the end, there's only one way to find out what she truly means, and his curiosity was getting the better of him.
With a sigh, he reached for the apron that would be far too big for her, so it must belong to her father or possibly mother — after all, Effie was a giantess.
"Move out the way, I'll handle breakfast. You just go... I don't know, sit?"
Her once calm face finally changed back to the gentle smile it had as he walked down. Throwing away whatever abomination she had made — that could, in truth, contend for a nightmare creature — he began to wash the pan that had char burnt into it.
Though it was so stuck on that he had no choice but to summon a dagger of shadow to fully scrape it off.
Honestly, what would she do without him?
Catching himself before he let that thought go on, he began to cook what he could only assume was her original goal by the ingredients still out on the counter — that being pancakes. And not just any pancakes... they had nuts in them?
He's never heard of anybody putting nuts into their pancakes, but he supposed it was always fine to taste new things.
Taking the bowl, he took the pre-made powder for the batter, pouring it in before adding milk instead of the water it called for. While he was at it, finding a bottle of vanilla extract, he put a teaspoon in just for some extra flavor.
Letting the pan heat up only slightly, he put the butter in, letting it slowly melt. Once it fully melted and the pan was heated up enough, he put 2 scoops of batter into the large pan.
He couldn't help but think how much easier this would be if he had multiple bodies, though something as outrageous as that will forever be a dream.
After around 20 minutes of repeating the process over and over, he had a stack of pancakes that would be enough to fill 2 masters up, as their appetites could be quite large.
With 2 glasses of orange juice that he found in the fridge, he set down her plate, putting his across the table from her, the silence being deafening as he sat down.
"Bon appétit?"
He couldn't help but want to slap himself after saying that, though it did seem to get a positive reaction out of her as she took her knife and fork, cutting a bite out.
Not surprised anymore about how she could pull off such things while being blind, he watched her put it into her mouth, seeing how she would like them.
Even with her blindfold still on while inside for some reason, he could see her eyes widening. He was sure that they had sparkles flowing out of them.
"So, how is it?" he asked, not needing to be nervous about if it wasn't up to her standards anymore... well, from what he saw before, if she had any at that.
Taking a sip of her orange juice, she spoke only two words.
"It's amazing."
The smile decorating her face was blinding to him. Her response could have been longer, sure, but it was as if her pure and utter joy served to give a speech for her.
Was this the joy that came with cooking for others? Or was this just the joy that came with cooking for her?
---
They're about 4 days away from the end of these 2 weeks. Truthfully, they haven't exchanged many words. Their routine is familiar to him now, as they woke up in their separate rooms, being a hall from each other. Though she usually woke up first, he noticed she often just lies in bed until he starts the day.
The first thing they do is brush their teeth together. It was quite the interesting experience, ignoring some of the health concerns that possibly flared into his mind from accidental cross-contamination.
Once that was done, he would cook breakfast for them. Though it was often the pancakes with nuts, recently they were fully homemade — no box involved.
After they ate together, they didn't do much. Though for some reason, it wasn't awkward like one may expect it to be. It was a comfortable silence between them, one that possibly only the two of them could have.
Though some events did occur — mainly in his mind, though. Some of these things being him taking more notice of her in general.
Whenever she brushes her teeth, she keeps her mouth open, even though she can't see it. Whenever she attempts to help with the dishes, she measures the soap she uses as if not to waste any. Whenever she is watching — well, listening to — the TV, she will copy the action she would hear to the side. For example, if it was stated someone gave a thumbs up, she would put her hand to the side and give one, as if to use her body to truly feel it.
Small things like this he noticed, and eventually, they built up to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
That is why he needs to confirm something, as it's eating away at him while he lays in bed. Getting up, he walked to her room, knocking on the door. Though it's probably rude to knock on someone's door right after you said goodnight to each other, he won't be able to fully function if he doesn't see this.
Hearing her shuffling out of bed from behind the door, it opens. He can't help but remember how this all started.
A smile adorning her face, no sense of displeasure etched onto it, she spoke.
"What brings you here at this hour, Sunny?"
He couldn't help but smile.
"I don't think this is the right setting for the things I want to say. May I come in?"
He spoke the same words she spoke to him that night — just like she spoke the same words he did.
Moving out of the frame, she let him in without any complaints.
"Make yourself at home."
Hearing this, he decided to follow the trend and sat down on her bed. But unlike him, she sat down right next to him, though for an unknown reason to him, it wasn't uncomfortable.
"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about? It must be important since you couldn't wait until the morning."
Though he felt slightly guilty by the words, he could tell she held no ill meaning behind them. To be frank, he didn't know how to ask this, as it's not something you would ask the everyday person, so he kept it simple and blunt.
"Can I see your eyes?"
He has seen them many times before, of course, but during the time he has been here, she has not once taken off her blindfold. She didn't seem confused by his question or even slightly bewildered. She actually seemed a bit happy at his request.
Without giving a response back, she untied the back of it, letting it fall on the bed before letting him look into her eyes.
---
When Sunny was with Cassie during this week, he slowly forgot. He forgot he was lost from light. He forgot he held the lineage of a daemon. He forgot he was mongrel. He forgot he was [Fated].
No — while Sunny was with Cassie, he was simply Sunny.
He wasn't the slave to the last daughter of the Immortal Flame Clan. He wasn't the outskirts rat that only lived out of spite.
He doesn't know when he did it or when it even started, but what he did know was his lips were currently on Cassie's.
Normally, when he saw people kissing in movies and such, they closed their eyes, but both of them kept their eyes open, staring into each other's all the while.
Their relationship couldn't be described with such conventional terms such as love or hate. It was far too complex of a relationship to even put it into words.
But if he had to put it into a word, then he would simply describe it as tumultuous.
Still, even then, that can't paint the picture for them; maybe nothing ever will, and he supposed he would have to just accept that.
Though if he really thinks on it, there is one thing that could describe their relationship.
If he had to choose one singular way to describe their relationship, then he would tell someone that they simply complete each other.
---
As I woke up, the first thing I did was reach over, only to feel nothing next to me. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a dream — no, it couldn't be.
After all, when I stepped out of bed, the cool air assaulted my bare body as I stepped on what could only be 2 sets of pajamas.
After getting myself put together, I reached for the nightstand, feeling the fabric of my blindfold. Though I didn't pick it up, leaving it off, I head down the stairs, my nose gladly breathing in the scent of what could only be pancakes.
Turning the corner, I couldn't help but smile. Though I couldn't see it, I knew a large smile was adorning his face as he turned to me.
"Good morning, Cass."