The french doors swing open causing candles to flicker as damp winds soak their edges. Curtis holds open the door as the group rushes into the halls greeted by the curious chatter of the other princesses. Curtis slams the doors behind them as the team shook and wrung the rain from their clothes, and Calpernia called out to the members to meet in the drawing room. The chatter increased as they followed her and Curtis into the main hall. Amongst them, Syrah was looking around for Gwen concerning gnawing at the pit of her stomach. The cursed liar had caught a glimpse of the young girl when they were dashing through the woods, and she was taken aback by the flash of wrath she saw on the sweet girl's face. So, her eyes skimmed the sea of princess trying to find Gwen. Then her eyes caught a head of washed-out greenish hair approaching Curtis. When they were all in the drawing room, Calpernia stood in front of the crowd, butler at her side. The talking continues until she raises a hand.
"Ok, everyone. Quiet down. Quiet down, listen up. We have some very important news. Earlier today, I was informed that there were some strange creatures close to our club. I investigated and... it's Prince Whitney."
Gasps and hushed whispers filled the room.
"That's not all. I'm sure that you've all heard stories of the skinless monster. How he killed a prince and took his place for years before slaughtering fifty people at King Leland's second son's birthday party. And how he's the reason for the existence of the Cryptid Control unit. Well, surprise, surprise, he's my ex's new pet and also Gwen's ex-fiancé."
A shrill shout breaks through the sea of fevered whispers.
"Hey! that's a lie! Frederick didn't hurt anyone at that party! I was there!"
Eyes were all on Gwen, who stomped up to the woman. Calpernia sighed heavily setting her gaze on the indignant girl.
"I saw everything! Frederick transformed at the party, but he didn't do anything. He was in shock like everyone else! Then the king ordered the guards to throw him in the dungeon. No one was killed! That's just a lie King Leland said to get more supporters for his campaign!"
The CPC president sighs; a tired annoyance crossed her face until she shook it into insincere gentleness.
"Gwen. Even if he was lying, it still doesn't mean that Frederick isn't dangerous. We don't know anything about him but the little we do know paints him in a very unfavorable light. He even told us himself that he's been drinking blood."
"I know but... I don't think- No, I know he's not what you think. When I talked to Frederick in the library, I was alone with him. If he were a monster that was biding his time waiting to hurt someone, he would have done it. And when we were talking... It just felt like I was talking to a frustrated and sad kid. Not a killer…. I mean I was shocked by the fact that he's actually some kind of vampire but…. I'm sure that he's not the type to hurt someone."
A scoff bursts through Calpernia's lips as her eyes blaze with frustration.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?"
Gwen flinches at her tone and Curtis stared at her appalled of the crass language his charged uttered.
"Calpernia! What have I told about innapropri-" He starts only to be interrupted her giving him the gesture for silence.
"HOW CAN YOU BE SO NAIVE!? AT FIRST I THOUGHT YOU WERE BEING NICE TO HIM OUT OF COMMON COURTESY, BUT THIS... YOU'RE JUST BEING AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT,"
Syrah approaches from the crowd. "Prez, what are you-"
"THAT FREAK HURT YOU! HE DESTROYED YOUR SELF ESTEEM TO THE POINT YOU CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOUR OWN REFLECTION ANYMORE! HE'S THE CAUSE OF ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS! AND WHEN WE SEE HIM AGAIN, HE BRINGS OUR LITERAL DOOM UP TO OUR DOORSTEP AND EVEN STOPS ME FROM GETTING RID OF THAT MONSTER FOR GOOD! YET YOU STILL WANT HIM HERE!? WHY, GWEN!? WHY!? I NEED TO UNDERSTAND!"
Said princess was shaking. Her cheeks twitched as she tried to keep a firm face, but tears began to pool then fall from her green eyes. The room is dead quiet save for Gwen's sniffling.
"Gwen..." Syrah said as she cradled her shoulders.
"Miss Calpernia! That's enough!" Curtis shouted. "I know that things are tense but it-"
"This is about Whitney. Isn't it?"
Once again, eyes were on Gwen. Her head rose to peer into the club president's gaze; They were red rimmed and damp but burned with fierce determination.
"So, it is true. You heard from your spiders that a man who looked like your ex was here... and you went to kill him," Her mouth curls into a snarl. "Were you... If Frederick didn't back down... If he continued to protect Whitney..., Would you have killed him too?"
Calpernia's rage falters.
"Wha... No, of course not. I was just... trying to protect the club and... I was trying to save him from Whitney. He-"
Gwen took a step towards her.
"You were? Then how come you just said you couldn't believe that I still cared about Frederick. In fact, the whole time you were pretty apathetic through the whole meeting. Almost as if his well-being didn't matter to you and…. I don't think I believe it does. If we hadn't come to look for you…. I…. I don't even wanna say it."
She wiped her eyes as the words flowed from her.
"This is all about your issues with you and Whitney. When I told you about what he did… you must have seen your own situation. You're projecting all that hurt... all that anger... You're projecting it on me and Frederick. You want me to do what you secretly wish you could've done long ago. To take the pain that Whitney inflicted on you…. And give it back ten times as greater. But I'm not you. I don't want to hurt anyone.
The girl stopped an inch away from Calpernia's face.
"I know that me and Frederick still have some issues to work out but I'm not going to stand by and let you treat him like an animal. I know that you think you're doing what's best for me but if you respect me at all, I would like you to kindly back the fuck up."
Everyone gasped; They never knew that the young girl knew any swears. Even Curtis was too dumbfounded to scold her.
"I thought... when I first joined this club, I admired your strength and your desire to help people be their best selves... even with their flaws. I wanted to be just like you... but after today... I can see that... I don't ever want to be you."
The silence is heavier than the rainfall; It's accentuated by the rumbles that shake the walls of the estate. The wrath in the woman's eyes is dulled by shock and a great sadness. The silence stretches on for a painful minute; It makes Gwen's neck prickles as the weight of everything that has transpired begins to weigh on her back. She looks around to a sea of concerned, frightened, and perturbed faces.
"I think…. we shouldn't hold the vote tonight." she says. "We should wait until the morning."
A murmur of agreement washed over her as all the princesses disperse from the drawing room eager to escape the tense atmosphere. Gwen joins the rest of them casting a look back at Calpernia before melding into the crowd.
From the darkness behind his eyelids, a gentle shake at his shoulder stirs Frederick awake. The teen lets out a small whine at the disturbance.
"Freddie…. Freddie…. Hey, Time to get up." whispers a familiar voice
He moaned and cracked open his eyes to Whitney's small smile and the hazy light reflecting off his warm gaze.
"Morning. Did you sleep well?"
With his head still groggy from sleep, Frederick nods letting out a long yawn oblivious to Whitney's oddly calm behavior. Moving away from the man's embrace, he begins to stretch groaning at the creaks and pops emulating from his body.
*Jeezus, my ass is sore…. Damn it, my clothes are still damp. *
As he rubs at his eyes, his brain begins the process of collecting itself gathering all the events that had occurred yesterday, Lance. His blood cravings. The wood nymphs. The fight. Seeing Gwen. Fighting with Whitney's ex...
He lets out a groan as his head starts to ache feeling like it was about to burst like a swollen pimple. His heart grew heavier with as he observed himself playing out these memories like following a main character in a book. All of those things he said, what he did. It all made him want to shrivel up into a dry husk and get carried away by a breeze.
*There is no way he'll-*
"Hey, let's have breakfast in the village. It's on me."
The dark thoughts stopped in their tracks as the teen swung his head toward the man mouth agape.
"Huh?"
Whitney opens the door allowing Frederick to enter the café ahead of him. The smell of fresh dough and sugar fills his nose; The warm air flowing from hot ovens eases the goosebumps on their arms from the after-storm chill. A woman greets them and seats the two at a booth. She places down the menus and dashes away to another customer. The teen scrutinizes the patrons around him making sure that none of them looked familiar. This was the first time he had been out in his normal form in a while. Though Whitney had said that this village's distance from the main kingdoms would make recognition of the boo-hag really low, he still felt like he had to be prepared to run at any second. When it was clear that no one had fearful recognition on their face, he allowed himself to relax a bit but not quite all the way; He still had to be alert for something else. He risks a glance at the striped man and averts it when he catches his silver gaze. This entire situation was highly unusual. Just two nights ago he called Whitney a coward, a hypocrite, and some other names that would make even a sailor wince and then he went behind his back to go kill his dad. And yet here they were, about to have tea and pastries like nothing had happened. Frederick tugged at his large sleeve cuffs in thought; They had stopped by a charity center for a few dry sets of clothes and Frederick's favorite find was this oversize striped blue and navy sweater. It felt like a big comfy blanket you could wear and was the perfect buffer for the outside world. It was much needed comfort for him as puzzled over what was going on in the tiger man's head.
The server returned with a pen and paper.
"Ok, what can I get you two?" she asks in a chipper voice.
Whitney goes first.
"I'll just have a black coffee and toast, please."
"One coffee and toast. And you, sugar lump?"
*Crap, I didn't even look. *
Frederick grabbed the menu and looked through it; his anxiety grew as the seconds dragged on.
"Um...I-I-I... I'll have a lemon tart with ahhh... raspberry tea?" he squeaked out.
The woman scribbled it down. "Ok, sug. I'll have your orders out for you in a bit." She darted off. Frederick's cheeks grew warm as he twisted his hair into tight ringlets.
*God, that was so awkward. I probably annoyed her. No one likes those people that takes ages to order. *
"Hey."
He looked up. The older man smiled warmly like he had just awoken from a restful nap.
"It's ok. Nobody in this place even knows who you are let alone what you look like. You can relax."
His gentle tone eased his tension, but it also brought a heavy sadness.
*I don't deserve this. He shouldn't be this nice to me. Especially after…. Everything. *
With a finger still making worry braids through his locks, he responded.
"It's not... I'm not worried about that."
The man's smile slips and is replaced by a concerned frown.
"Is it something else?
"Whitney, why aren't... Why are you-"
Frederick is interrupted by the waitress's cheery voice as she places their food in front of them.
"Alright, we got one coffee and a lemon tart with a raspberry tea."
When she placed down Frederick's food, his eyes lit up when he saw a sizable chocolate chip cookie. Whitney notices and stops her.
"Oh, excuse me. We didn't order the cookie."
"It's on the house, big guy. Your sister looked so down so I figured I'd give her a little somthin' extra."
Whitney's mouth dropped and he cast a nervous glance toward the teen.
(Oh, God. He's going to lose it.)
The man is about to say something when Frederick speaks up.
"Thank you so much. That's really nice of you." he replies with a wide smile lightning up his face and a joyful twinkle in his eye; his voice goes up an octave higher, matching that of a young woman. Whitney's eyes practically bulge out as his mouth drops further but the waitress doesn't notice it.
"You're very welcome, honey bun. I'm glad I could help put a smile on such a pretty face."
She walked off and Frederick waved her off. He turned back to Whitney and snorted out a barely suppressed giggle; His faced reminded him of a tarsier he seen in a nature.
As the teen continued to snicker, Whitney found his words.
"What. The hell. Was that." he asked, words more dumbfounded then angry.
Frederick doubled over with laughter shaking the table from the sheer force of his guffaws.
"You swore again. I made you swear." he said between bouts of wheezing giggles.
Whitney stared on and his shock slowly morphed into back into contentment; It was nice to see his friend smile again.
Frederick laughs slowed into snorts which made Whitney start to chuckle.
"I thought for sure you were going to cuss her out. I mean she thought you were my sister."
Frederick shrugged as he started into his lemon bar after his giggles eased away, "Why would I be mad? It's not a big deal."
"Not too long ago, you called a guy a taint licker when he cat called you. You can't exactly blame me for being shocked."
"That was different. He was being gross, and she was acting like a human being, besides it's… nice when people say I'm pretty."
The tiger man tilted his head. "Well, that can happen without people mistaking you for girl. I think you're very uh... Pretty as a guy."
The teen's smile slipped down.
"I mean guys can be beautiful too... Uh umm... it doesn't make you less of a man if someone thinks you're pretty... I mean there's Prince Jamie of the Pastel kingdom. He has the whole cute thing going on and he's still a man, you don't have to...uhhh...," The man's words tumbled into an awkward pause as he watched the boy's frown grow deeper and his eyes dull into tired displeasure. He cut his gaze to the table feeling the prickles of embarrassment on his neck.
"Never mind. Let's talk about something else."
The teen nodded, solemnly; fingers wandering to squeeze his cuffs and head turned down
The man continued. "I'm sure that... you know that I didn't just take you here for no reason."
He nodded again.
"Well... Last night, you told me you were scared and... didn't want to lose...me…. Freddie, I just want you to know that I'm scared too."
The teen's head perked up.
"The longer we've been together... the more I learn about you. A lot of it makes me smile and just brightens up my mood when I'm feeling crappy. Like the way you want to try new things every day and…. Want to learn new things. It's really inspiring, and I love it when you tell me stories at night…. Even though the scary ones keep me up…. but I can tell that it's something you love to do. I… what you said in the cave really…. Touched me. I've never had…. I never thought someone could care about me that much because…. I feel the same way about you…when you're around ... I feel like I can... let myself be happy."
Whitney's small smile shrank away as his mood darkened.
"So, when I hear the CC speeches or... see the things that can hurt you…. I get angry…. It gets worse when you talk about…. Your father because…. I know he hurt you the most. The worst part is…. I can see that he's still hurting you. I see it… when you flinch when I raise my voice… when you call yourself useless or a failure…. When you scream out at night…. Scream for him to stop and… not to do it…. And that you'll be good."
The teen tightens his grip on his sleeve.
"I try to tell myself that once I got things together... plan out everything. Then I could take you away from it all…. I thought that maybe…. If you were far away from everything and…. Him. Then you'd start doing better and… everything would be fine, but... deep down, I feel that running away won't cut it. They'll follow us or extend their organization and territories. They'll keep spreading until- he finds you and-'
Whitney let out a small growl and his hands fly to his face feeling the familiar ache that flared up his head and face with pain. Frederick leaned over with concern, but the tiger man continued.
"Sorry, I... That's what makes me afraid. I... I haven't felt like this in a long time... This anger... I thought I had conquered it, but…... I have all these horrible thoughts about tearing apart anyone that puts a finger on you and... It scares me. At first, I just meditated and tried to shove them away but... they just kept coming... I feel so on edge about everything, and things just keeps getting worse...,"
Through the man's covered hands, Frederick could see the familiar red glow emanating between his fingers; the same glow he saw during one of his story nights and a few times after that.
" I'm trying so hard... to keep everything under control but... I can't keep up. Everything is just coming in too fast and... The curfews, the rules, and you... you're going through things and changes that I…. can't even begin to understand. I don't even know if it's good change or bad change…... And it's so frustrating to feel so clueless on how to help because I know you want answer and me to tell you everything is going to be fine but… But I have no idea… I felt like I had to pretend I knew what to do…. To keep up this show of serenity and control but…. You saw right through me. I am a hypocrite and a cow-"
Whitney stopped when he felt someone take his hand and pull it down to the table. He looked up to see that the teen's trembling face eyes brimming with tears.
"Whitney... I'm so sorry. For everything. I had no idea that you were going through all of that. I just thought... you had everything figured out and was going with the flow and... it just pissed me off. I thought you were ignoring everything so I... What I did was reckless and dumb and... I was completely out of line when I said all those horrible things about you and then betrayed your trust after the fact. You have every right to be mad at me."
Whitney stared at the hand; Compared to his own, it was the size of a cat's paw. Silence overtook the table once again. Frederick wiped at his eyes and nose with one of the napkins still keeping a hand on the giant's. The man felt his heart warm and rise like fresh bread. Such a casual gesture meant the world to the man; It was a milestone that told him that he had not screwed up but had actually made overcome a big hurdle.
The teen kept his gaze downward.
"Do you... do you still want me around?" he asked.
The teen felt a comforting squeeze from Whitney's hand which made his gaze shoot up.
"Of course, I do. You mean the world to me, Freddie. I…. I never thought about it before but…. When I would hear people talk about their family or their siblings, I use to think it was weird but also… kind of nice. And I think that…. I know what it means to have someone that…. Feels like family."
Frederick's heart quivers from shock before his face breaks out into a happy sob. He knelt his head down and covered his face with his arms not wanting to draw attention to his weeping face. Whitney, his hand still in the teen's grasp, lightly wiped away his tears with his thumb.
"Thank you." the cryptid whispered.
The man smiled and also lowered his head to the surface top; The teen's fluffy locks curled around his fingers and tickled his palm. Whitney scratched at his scalp marveling at how thick the teen's hair had gotten over the past few months. Frederick sighs happily as his friend massages away the inklings of a headache.
"Now, I know that your father and the people that follow him are dangerous and... we might have to defend ourselves if the need arises, but we can only engage in combat if its life or death. Because as it stands right now, we're in no condition to fight with highly trained soldiers. And from now on…. I think we need to practice being…. vulnerable with each other. I know it sounds like a big step, but I think it'll be good… for both of us. Ok?"
The teen nods. His brow furrows as another issue boils up to his mind.
"Whitney, why did you call me Freddie?"
The man pauses his scratching.
"You noticed that?"
"Hard not to. That's the first time you've ever tried to shorten my name. You didn't seem like the type to give nicknames." Frederick replies turning his head towards him.
"Well, it's just ummm... the moment kind of took me and I had been thinking about it for a long time if we got closer but…. I can stop if you want."
"No. No. Its ok, really. I... actually been wanting to talk to you about this for some time."
Whitney tilted his head.
"Hmmm?"
"I... I've never felt... I don't... geez, this is going to sound crazy but... I'm not... I don't like my name."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It just... never felt right. Like when I hear people call me, it feels weird and awkward. Like it's…. too big for me and it just sounds…. Gross. I honestly hate it and used to wish that I could change it. Now that I have this... new life, I can and... God, this sounds dumb."
"Oh, that's fine. I get it. It's not out of the ordinary to do that. A lot of the monks back at the monastery changed their names when they got there. For them, it's a symbolic effort to transition into their new lives. There's nothing crazy about that."
Frederick smiled more and relaxed into Whitney's large hand again.
"So do you like Freddie?" the man asked.
"Mmmmm, not crazy about it."
"What about Rick or Fred?"
The teen stuck out his tongue. "Bleh. Those sound awful. I'll let you know if I find something I like."
"Ok. While we're…. opening up, now. We have something else to discuss."
Frederick felt his heart sink. He had a feeling they would be talking about... her.
"You need a haircut."
At that Frederick bolted upright; his hair flying into spikes as if to match his shock.
"What!? No!"
"Kid, it's getting way too long, and you bangs are practically blinding you. I can hardly see your face days."
The teen back into his chair as he covered his head, "Uh. You're not touching my hair! I like it this way."
"Freddie, please don't be difficult. Long hair isn't practical for fighters. Someone could grab it and you'll be incapacitated."
"And I said no. So tough!"
The two continue their back and worth, oblivious to the amusing show they were supplying to the patrons. Their waitress, who was about to give them their check, watched the two while giggling along with the cook, who had popped out to watch when he heard the banter.
The burly man chuckled. "Adorable bunch, aren't they? They related?
"I think so," the server replied. "The big guy was talking about family a bit ago. I think they had a big fight and just made up. Warms my heart to see siblings do that and then go back to play fighting."
The cook shook his head with a smile. "That boy better quit while he's ahead. You don't touch a girl's hair unless you wanna fight her and that one looks like a real wildcat."
Heyo, everybody! Sorry, I've been gone so long. Between finding the motivation to write, life, and wanting to read more; It's been a tough few months. I also got last minute inspiration to do a short fic for a childhood book series that was my favorite growing up. That's also out and finished for, now. Now, for a couple of things I'd like to address that I'm sure you all will have questions about later on. First off, for anyone who had any suspicions, yes, Frederick has major trauma with touch and is severely touch starved. I noticed that when it comes to physical touch, Frederick's family is pretty rough or withholding of physical affection. King Leland's affection comes with conditional validation and pats on the back, but we've never seen him hug his sons. Lance is very affectionate but expresses it with rough and sudden grabs and hard pats on the back which I notices that Frederick doesn't seem to enjoy. Thus, I head cannon was born. I hope I was able to convey the experience properly. Another element that I want to give a heads up on is Frederick's journey into queerness and womanhood. When I first started planning this fic, I was coming into my own journey and discovery with my gender and sexuality. I did a lot of this discovery through Frederick and ended up producing tons of stories featuring our favorite cryptid navigating the complexities of identity, crushes, and finding the strength to be yourself. I was hesitant to make this explicit because I was 30 percent afraid of backlash and 70 percent nervous about being that vulnerable. I'm aware that no trans and queer experience is the same but was doubtful of its validity; something that I'm still struggling with today. But after a lot of thought…. I figured fuck it life is too short for hesitation and over thinking.
Don't forget to like and comment any questions or suggestions; Love hearing from you guys. Good night!