Sunshine and Yellow Lilies

by An Undercover Changeling

Beauty and the Beast/Fairytale AU. A crumbling castle, a cursed prince...and a cheerful young comedienne, approaching a strange kingdom with her family in their traveling performing show, who will play a much more pivotal role than she thinks. A heavy Luan/Benny focus with shameless fluff and shameless puns, but also some darker parts with slight angst. Rated T for some violence.

12. Chapter XII: Never Out of Sight

Chapter XII: Never Out of Sight

"One kiss. Just one kiss. How hard can it possibly be for her to give him one god-forsaken, eyeball-licking, moon-blasted kiss?"

As the night came to a close, all the enchantress could manage was a tired, frustrated facepalm. This had not gone quite the way she had planned. Though in all honesty, she should've expected that much from the oblivious comedienne, who certainly had no idea how much strife and misery she was causing.

"She probably doesn't even need to do that much," the enchantress continued to rant. "A simple 'I love you' would probably do the trick. Three words. That's not so difficult, is it? I'm not asking this girl for all the stars on a silver platter or something. This is a perfectly reasonable request!"

"Who are you yelling at, Mama?" her young daughter asked, trailing at her mother's heels like an incessantly clingy sheepdog, the way she always did. The two of them sat down on one of the benches, watching as the last few stragglers left the dark courtyard. The lanterns' vibrant flames were finally starting to flicker out, leaving only blank gray spheres behind. While the three-year old didn't quite understand what was happening, she was smart enough to acknowledge her mother's frustration, and perhaps recognize that it was related to the girl in the yellow dress whom they'd been spying on for days.

The enchantress only sighed. "The world, Esmeralda. I'm yelling at the world."

And why shouldn't she? She'd put a lot of time and effort into making sure everything was perfectly-perfect, only for that annoying girl to throw everything right out the window and decide not to grace the prince with the kiss he was undoubtedly waiting for.

Not even a super-quick, super-casual one.

Dang it, you infernal comedienne. Dang it.

The enchantress wasn't sure what else she could try at this point. Without her magic, any more grand romantic settings like this one would be out of the question. And she wasn't quite certain how much meddling and manipulating she could do before the girl's (hopefully) eventual love confession could no longer be considered genuine.

And it had to be genuine. That was how these kinds of curses worked.

Then again, maybe she wouldn't have to do much of anything. There had been quite a few moments this night where Luan had probably come pretty close to admitting her feelings for the cursed prince. The enchantress could tell she was definitely thinking about it.

The question was, of course, whether she'd do it fast enough.

She had less time than she thought she did. According to the enchantress's calendar, the third petal would fall tonight, and the fourth a couple days after that. Time was running out quickly, and that only made the enchantress even more worried than she already was, if that was possible.

A cold gale blew the rest of the lanterns out in a single quick gust, as though the night sky were a child wishing on birthday candles, praying that their wildest dreams would come true. Now left in the dark with nothing but the slowly-waning moon and a handful of flashing fireflies to guide her eyes, the enchantress took hold of her daughter's hand, keeping her close so she wouldn't get lost. A pitch-black world was a scary place for a young child. Danger could be anywhere, and it had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected it.

And when bright lights, heavy footsteps, and dozens of low voices coming from the other side of town suddenly struck her eyes and ears, it dawned on her that danger might be far closer than anyone truly realized.

…

"Splendid!" Madame Bernardo told Luan the next morning at theatre practice after she'd finished reciting her character's lines from the balcony scene. The director gave her prized pupil a quick, happy round of applause, which Luan responded to with a proud curtsey. "You've still got quite a long way to go, but it's much better than it was yesterday."

Luan felt her lungs exhale a sigh of relief. Turns out, despite everything that had happened last night, she could still pass for a functional human being.

Even if her thoughts were all scrambled-up and discombobulated. They cycled round and round in an endless, repetitive loop. He kissed me! What does that mean? What do I want it to mean? He kissed me!

Her teacher raised a curious, penciled-in eyebrow. "This wouldn't have anything to do with that lovely, dazzling boy of yours, would it? Perhaps spending time with him has made you feel better."

"Trust me," Luan said with a swift shake of her head and a faint grin. "If anything, he's only made me way worse."

She hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face all morning, much to her siblings' amusement. All ten had gawked at her, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, while she'd served up nine dozen pancakes with a healthy dose of breakfast-related puns, then twirled merrily across the floor, broom in hand, scattering the dust and crumbs she was meant to be sweeping up. When they'd gathered around the dining table to eat, all of her family members had sat down on a whoopee cushion instead of the usual seat cushions, and Luan couldn't help but laugh hysterically to herself every time someone activated the confetti cannons she'd rigged to go off every time someone opened one of the kitchen cupboards. At one point, her chuckling fits had gotten so bad that her mother had taken her aside and interrogated her about whether or not she'd drank anything last night that could've been alcoholic or otherwise spiked with something.

And none of her siblings could keep themselves from pestering her with endless jokes and teasing. As soon as they'd gotten over their initial shock of seeing their once-glum sister pirouette across the kitchen floor in a silly rhapsody, they'd made her life a living nightmare, gushing over white gowns, wedding bells, and a dozen adorable little children with fluffy paws and wagging tails.

While their parents were out fetching the water for their morning baths, Lori had called a quick sibling meeting, gathering all ten of her younger siblings around the dining table.

"At the top of today's agenda," Lori had announced with a grin. "We have exciting news! As you all know, last night, Luan received her first kiss from a boy!"

All of the others had clapped and cheered, making a big old hullabaloo, while Luan had stood stiffly in the corner of the room, trying to keep her face calm and still and not as furiously red as she imagined it to be. "How did you know about that?"

Everyone had pointed to Lucy. Lucy had simply shrugged.

A super-secret spy mission. Of course. That was a timeless classic in the Loud family. Luan had gone on quite a few herself when she and her siblings were trying to hook Luna up with Sam. Without proper safety precautions, they were to be expected.

Her siblings had gone on to discuss in vivid imagery the events that had occurred last night, complete with crudely-drawn sketches of the scene and complicated charts and graphs predicting the probability of another kiss. They'd seemed to recall what had happened with even more detail and accuracy than Luan herself.

Then, they'd done a little mock interview where they'd tried to persuade Luan into revealing her thoughts and feelings on the matter (only a few of which she'd divulged), before ending the meeting with another round of applause. It was an absolutely horrific experience, but Luan also found it weirdly cute in a way.

Her one saving grace was the fact that at least her parents, according to Lucy, still had no idea what Benny had done with her last night. Her father had been far too busy getting mindlessly drunk and counting the piles of coins he'd received from the sketchy party host over and over again. Her mother, meanwhile, had spent the whole night keeping him from hurting himself and approaching random strangers to share puns, cooking tips, and conspiracy theories.

Which was good, because she had no idea how her parents would react. She was still trying to figure out exactly how she was reacting! She had little doubt that Rita would be thrilled, or if she wasn't, she'd come around eventually. But her father…she thought Benny's delightful charm might be starting to grow on him, though she wasn't completely sure.

As crazy and hectic as things were this morning, she'd acted even crazier last night. Just as she'd promised herself she'd do, Luan had spent the late hours of the night working on the spellbook, curled up in a corner of her family's dark room with the small, thin candle that served as Lana's nightlight. She'd actually made some decent progress, too–she'd finally figured out how the foreign alphabet worked and had started to decipher some of the index. She probably could've done a lot more, however, if she hadn't been plagued by relentless bouts of giggles every time her mind strayed to thoughts of Benny, of the dances they'd shared, and of the kiss he'd stolen. But it wouldn't have been nearly as fun.

Luan had little doubt she'd kept each and every one of her family members up late with her insane bouts of laughter and erratic page-flicking, because every now and then, she'd heard one of them grouch or grumble something unintelligible at her or cover their ears with a pillow, but she had just paid them no mind and tuned them out. It wasn't until Luna had thrown a ball crafted from Lynn's stinky socks at her, nearly hitting the candle and setting the room ablaze, when she'd finally relented, abandoning the book. She had settled into a remarkably peaceful sleep, still with the smile on her lips, where it had stayed until morning's first light.

It was then that she knew for a fact that Benny wasn't just driving her nuts. He was making her absolutely, positively, off-the-walls bonkers.

Could this be similar to how Luna felt about Sam, and Lori about Bobby? Maybe she'd been a little too harsh whenever she'd mocked them about the way they got all fawny and loopy around them. After all, back then she'd had no idea how hard it was to manage silly feelings like these and stop them from completely taking over her brain.

Something about the expression her student was currently wearing caused Madame Bernardo to burst out laughing. "It's all part of the process, sunshine. You'll have to bring that boy over here sometime soon. I'd rather like to speak with him some more. And I'm sure he's quite debonair beneath the fur and claws, hmm?"

Those words, though completely unassuming in their nature, put a slight damper on Luan's bright mood–a gray drizzle of rain that threatened to flood her sunny brain. She was reminded yet again of the horrible spell her sweet prince was still stuck under, and how much work she still had to do in order to even have a chance of freeing him from it before time ran out.

"Probably," she admitted with a hint of a sad, wistful sigh. Then, cringing, she corrected herself. "I mean, yes. Definitely. Of course."

"Of course," Madame Bernardo echoed. "I would expect nothing less from you. You're much too smart a girl to go around falling for monsters."

Madame Bernardo had no idea just how wrong she was. Or maybe she wasn't wrong at all, because in all the times Luan had stolen a glance at the prince, never once did she refer to him as a monster or a beast. All she thought was Benny, the silly boy who made her laugh and maybe believe in fairytales and who caused her heart to do all sorts of weird gymnastics. The boy who, by some gift or magic of his own, could persuade a comedienne to get up and waltz.

She was going to see him later today. Even though her heart hurt and ached so, so badly to see him still trapped in a cursed body that was not his own while she struggled to find a way to save him before the last petal fell, she couldn't deny that she felt much more like herself when she was around him. Much more like the silly, joyful comedienne she still held within herself even as her life plunged into sad, scary, unpredictable chaos.

Benny was her biggest source of pain, and yet he was also the only thing that managed to completely shake it away. He was funny like that.

And Luan couldn't stop herself from praying that having him around would help her focus on the task she was meant to be doing. That the soft sound of his voice as he taught Lola to read knight-and-horsey stories and helped Lana train Hops to roll over and shake hands might remind her hyperactive mind that it had a purpose and needed to concentrate on it. After all, Luan never studied well in total silence.

Not to mention the fact that Luna's words had tumbled around in her brain all morning like a stone rolling down an endless hill. She did not have all the time in the world. Not to break the spell, and not to spend with him, either. She wanted to make the most of every moment she had left, even if she had to spend a lot of them behind a book.

I'm going to figure out how to end the curse today, she declared, feeling the hope return to her body and swell in her chest as she lifted her head up high. I just know it.

…

Pale, clever hands and feathered white wings. A sparkling yellow dress.

Luan had invaded his dreams yet again.

Benny knew it was merely another apparition because, just like each of the previous times she'd come to haunt him while he slept, Luan's amber eyes were dull and glassy, almost glazed-over, not bright and sparkly the way they were in real life.

She stood in the courtyard where they'd talked earlier that night, surrounded by flowers and marble fountains. Her skin had taken on an otherworldly greenish glow under the lights cast by the lanterns hanging above. Instead of standing still and silent like she usually did in his dreams, tonight she was tilting her head back and laughing, seemingly at something he'd said, though for some reason he couldn't hear the sound. Her hands gripped his paws tightly, but he couldn't feel a thing.

And those eyes…those eyes. If not for them, Benny had little doubt he could've easily been fooled. The look on her face implied that she was happy, but her soulless eyes told a far different story, one he didn't think he liked. It was quite a bizarre, unsettling expression.

Still smiling, the angelic apparition tugged on his arms, pulling him close, and Benny felt his shoulders tense, though whether they were his real ones or not, he had no clue. He tried to pull away, to wrench his paws free from her tight grasp, because he didn't want her close, this thing that looked and smiled like Luan, but wasn't her, could never be her.

But he seemed unable to escape from her, no matter how hard he tried to free himself. He wondered briefly if it was simply because he couldn't–the topsy-turvy laws of dreamworld physics prevented him from doing so–or because a tiny part of him still wanted to stay with her and see her smile even though he knew it wasn't genuine and neither was she.

He froze as the girl propped herself up onto her tiptoes and seized his shoulders in her hands. As soon as he realized what she was doing and what her goal was, he drew in a sharp breath, his heart rate rising. Her lips hovered less than an inch from his own, the air tense with the anticipation of a kiss.

But it never came. In an instant, the starry sky grew dark and gray with clouds, and hundreds of stones came raining down onto the yard, each of them big enough to break his skull if one collided with his head.

Forgetting this was a dream, Benny dropped to all fours and bolted, letting his instincts propel him to safety. Only once he was certain he was no longer in danger of being crushed did he dare to look back.

He wished he hadn't.

His phantom was gone, which was probably supposed to feel like a good thing, but for some reason, it didn't. As he stepped closer, tentatively, tail between his legs, he could see bits of shiny yellow fabric shimmering from underneath the pile of stones. He'd managed to escape, but she had not, meeting her demise without a scream, or even a whimper. And though he reminded himself yet again that none of this was real, still he desperately clawed his way through the stones, praying to hear a breath or sense a pulse.

Gradually, he uncovered her body, watching her still chest and waiting on pins and needles for it to start rising and falling again. But it didn't. She remained as cold and lifeless as the pile of rubble beneath them, almost as though there was no difference between them at all.

He picked her up, gently brushing the dust and debris off of her dress. She looked so small and fragile in his arms–nothing like the bold comedienne who'd fearlessly venture onto a twenty-foot-high tightrope or right into the house of a beast. He watched her for a while, but never once did she breathe, move, or make a sound.

Benny thought he might be shouting something–maybe calling for a doctor or just for someone, anyone, to come and help, though he had no idea how they'd react to the sight of him–yet he still couldn't hear anything except howling wind. At one point, he took off running, but this, too, proved futile. He was trapped in an endless labyrinth of stone fountains, square-shaped hedges, and starry skies.

He didn't know what to do or where to go, nor could he tell if Luan's life was still slipping away or if it had already gone. Perhaps she had been dead the whole time and he was just mindlessly clinging onto the restless optimism that normally radiated from her like heat from a candlestick.

Lost, scared, and completely out of options, he glanced down at the girl he held, hoping that by some far-flung miracle she'd wake up, hug him tightly, and tell him how to get out of this place.

What he saw sent his heart reeling right out of his chest and into the black abyss of the night sky.

Now resting in Luan's still-motionless hands was a lily. With half of the petals torn off.

…

Benny woke up the same way he always did after a nightmare. With an unshakable tremor, an astronomically fast heartbeat, and a forehead drenched in sweat. His head felt foggy, his vision blurred, and for a moment he was so terrified that he couldn't even recall his own name. For some reason, this dream must've gotten to him worse than any of those he'd had before.

My name is Benjamin Stein, he reminded himself. I am a prince, I live in a castle, I was transformed into a monstrous beast by a wicked witch's curse, and I am in love with a beautiful, funny girl named Luan.

Slowly, everything came back to him.

Benny spent a good few minutes trying to calm himself down, taking deep breaths and reminding himself that the world was not terrible, Luan was not dead, and he was not doomed to wander an endless maze forever. He was going to be just fine.

He pulled himself into a seated position, shrugged off his blankets, and lifted a paw to sweep away the velvet curtains covering the window beside his bed. The sky outside was still pitch dark; the silver-blue moon shone big and bright like a prying eye. The cold, quiet world held not a single trace of dawn's first sunlight.

Well, there was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep anytime soon.

He realized that something felt a little off and slipped out of bed, the curved claws on his feet landing with a little click-clack on the cold stone tiles. Yanking the blankets clean off his bed, Benny inspected the damage.

Just as he'd suspected, he'd torn through another set of sheets. The pristine white fabric now bore whip-thin lashes where his claws had shredded right through it. In fact, Benny thought the marks might've even gone deeper than the sheets this time, right down to the mattress itself.

It's fine, it doesn't matter, he told himself, though, honestly, it probably did matter, but he was just too tired to deal with it right now. He spread the blankets back onto the bed, then tucked himself in and tried to get comfortable. But he found the task impossible. The bed was too cushy, the blankets too hot…everything felt completely unnatural. And for good reason, too, he supposed. Beasts didn't really belong in beds.

So instead, he curled up into a tight ball on the bare floor, the end of his tail lightly brushing against the tip of his nose. He was surprised at how much more natural this sleeping position felt, and wondered if it might've had to do with the fact that the curse was getting closer and closer to becoming permanent. He worried about what might happen when it did, if he might forget himself and the comedienne he loved and become fully animal. Would she try to bring him back? Would he try to hurt her, like he had once?

Why did I ever bring her into my problems? he asked himself. She's not safe; I'm just putting her in more and more danger the longer I let her stay with me. Why do I even have problems like this? I shouldn't. It's not fair.

Shhh. There's nothing you can do. Try your best to get some sleep, he chided, and he had little doubt that if Luan were here beside him right now, she'd reprimand him in much the same way. She didn't try to dwell on negative thoughts or scary futures, instead she preferred to focus on the bright side, even when there was barely one there at all. It was one of the most remarkable things about her, at least according to him.

It's all going to be fine, he told himself, hoping that one day, he'd believe it. He wrapped his tail tighter around his nose, ignoring the lingering feeling of…something wet.

…

Benny was relieved when, after what seemed like a thousand hours of darkness, stillness, and perpetual sleeplessness, the sun rose and he heard a knock on the door. He pulled himself out of his tight bundle of fluff and into a catlike stretch, trying to work out the odd kinks in his back. Then, he tied his familiar sky-blue jacket securely around his waist and went to answer the door, hoping his face didn't betray how tired he felt.

However, he did perk up just a little when his usual "Who's there?" was echoed by the sound of joyful laughter and a customary pun. Indeed, when he opened the door, he was more than pleased to lock eyes with Luan, who was surrounded by the faces of her entire family and grinning so broadly that he wondered for a moment if she might've gone mad. She wore no cloak today, only the sand-pale tunic and skirt she usually kept underneath. But somehow, even without her trademark yellow garment, she still had that usual bright-ray-of-sunlight aura about her.

"Hi," he greeted, trying not to flinch as a snake, presumably belonging to Lana, slithered past, along with a zoo full of other assorted animals. He had no idea how the seven-year-old girl was able to keep so many creatures in line, though he suspected it might've had something to do with the treats he smelled in her pocket. Clever girl.

Many of Luan's siblings responded with cheerful words or waves. Lucy answered with nothing more than a polite nod, while Leni gave his cheek a quick, loving pinch as she passed. Lynn Sr paused to fix him with a cautious look, which caused his wife to nudge him and whisper something sharp in his ear.

Hm, thought Benny as he dared to meet the man's curious, though mildly intimidating gaze, trying not to shrink under his close scrutiny. She has her father's eyes. It was true–the amber color was so strikingly similar to Luan's bright irises, but the emotions within them were so remarkably different that Benny almost wanted to laugh. Though he had no idea what the reaction would be if he did.

Luan hung back, waiting for her family to walk away before reaching out to capture his paws between her hands.

"Hello, you." She offered a tired-sounding greeting of her own, then stepped up onto her tiptoes to rub her nose against his–a close, affectionate gesture that made his heart skip a few beats and his brain cease to function all over again.

Does that count as a kiss? he wondered dazedly as she pulled away with a giggle, thinking of the enchanted lily and glancing down at his still-fluffy paws. Dang it.

Touch was an alien language that Benny had never quite learned to speak fluently, though he tried his very best to understand it. All eleven of the Loud siblings were always poking, nudging, pushing, and shoving each other, but he'd observed them long enough to know that this was just their way of showing love. Every now and then, one of them would do the same to him, and he wondered if maybe that meant they had started to see him almost like another brother. A part of their huge, chaotic pack.

But he had no idea what Luan's gestures meant. Those were the ones that made no sense at all to him. Hers were much more frequent, softer, and less rough-and-tumble than those of her siblings. They often came without warning, as though she was purposely trying to throw him for a loop. If that was her goal, it was certainly working on him.

She seemed much happier than she'd been yesterday, which made him happy, too, and proud that his efforts to lift her spirits had succeeded, at least in part. Her closeness made him think of the way she'd clung so tightly to him last night, trying to keep herself warm without the advantage of her extra layers…and of the way he'd kissed her hand as he departed.

He hadn't thought too much of it at the time. It was just something common and customary to him–simply what a prince or nobleman was supposed to do when bidding a beautiful girl farewell. But now that he thought about it, it probably wasn't something this traveling comedienne had encountered very often, or if she had, she'd more than likely never had it happen to her before. So there was a chance she'd interpreted his gesture as something completely different–a connotation that only made his blush run deeper, because while he did in fact feel that way about her, she wasn't exactly supposed to know. Nor was she meant to act this giddy about it.

What was she thinking? He desperately wished he knew.

She gave him a playful smirk, and he realized then that while he'd been distracted, she'd seized his jacket from around his waist and was now quickly pulling her arms through the sleeves. Had her sudden display of affection been nothing more than a clever ruse to divert his attention?

Luan knows how to play her cards right. She's got me beat.

Almost could've fooled me.

"No cloak today?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"It's in the wash," she said. "Lori, Leni, and I are going to do it later." Flashing him a quick wink, she added: "In the meantime, it's up to me to improvise."

"With my–" He stepped forward and reached out to try to snatch back his jacket, but his foot landed on something slippery, causing him to trip. Luan nonchalantly stepped back, letting him take the full brunt of her little slapstick routine.

"Walked yourself right into that one, toots." Luan leaned against the stone wall, waving a banana peel back and forth above his head.

"You scoundrel!" Benny shook his fist in mock rage, though he figured his smile probably ruined the effect. "I ought to have you executed for that."

Luan raised her eyebrows. "Executed? Ha, you wouldn't."

"And how do you know what I would and wouldn't do?"

She rolled her eyes, apparently still unconvinced by his theatrics. "Very well, dear prince. But you'll have to catch me first!"

Laughing gaily, Luan took off running down the hallway, the coattails of Benny's jacket billowing behind her as she went. She was as quick and light as a vixen, and probably just as clever, too.

But he was faster. She may have won an advantage by catching him off guard, but as he chased after her on all fours, he quickly caught up to her and cut her off. He even had some time to spare to get up and dust off his pants before seizing her gently by the arm.

"Oh, woe!" she cried, pulling on a dramatic face. "Looks like it's the guillotine for me."

She started to slip her arms out of his jacket, but he held up his free paw to stop her.

"I don't need it."

"You're sure?" Luan asked. When he nodded, she threaded each button through its respective hole, rolled up the sleeves, and grinned at him. "Well, that's very chivalrous of you. Why, I'd even go so far as to call you a coat above the rest. Get it?"

Alright, so maybe his actual motivation was less about courtesy and more about the fact that he thought Luan looked rather cute and charming in his clothes, but he wasn't going to say anything. What would be the right thing to say, anyway?

Hey, I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but just so you know, I think you're the most beautiful, extraordinary creature I've ever laid eyes upon. Also, that's a good color for you.

He wasn't entirely sure that was an appropriate thing to say, so he just gave her a smile, hoping she'd understand what he meant.

"What I mean to say is, you're the best." Luan popped the collar of his jacket over the back of her neck with a grin, then crossed the room to sit down at the table in the corner, across which Lisa had already spread out her spellbooks and assorted papers. A moment later, Luna pulled up a chair to join them. Meanwhile, a few of their siblings flocked around Benny like a herd of noisy sheep, keeping him busy with their games and conversations.

Even while she studied hard, Luan's face still held a broad, bright smile, and every now and then, she'd look up, lock her gaze on him and giggle lightly to herself. It seemed as though whenever he dared to steal a glance in her direction, she was watching him with those frightening, pretty eyes of hers. Once in a while, when she caught him staring, she'd toy with the buttons on his jacket, pull the garment tighter around her body, or lift the collar or one of the sleeves to her nose and give it a quick sniff, as though she liked the way it smelled and felt.

Hang on. Is she…flirting with me? That can't possibly be right. Can it?

She just thinks it's funny, probably. Teasing a scary beast and watching him get all flustered and start to fall in love with her. Letting him fall right into her trap only to break his heart in the end. She's messing with me, trying to bewitch me, and I really shouldn't let her.

Wait, that doesn't sound right, either. Benny scratched his head, trying to figure this girl out. Luan's a prankster for sure, but she'd never play with someone's emotions like that. Not even mine.

So, then, what is she trying to do?

While he couldn't even begin to comprehend what she might be thinking, he knew her well enough to know she only pulled off puns and pranks like the ones she'd just done when she was very happy. That was her way of expressing joy.

And the smug, knowing smiles Lisa and Luna sent his way confirmed his theory. Her joy was in fact caused by him. Mission accomplished!

Luan's glowing, beaming face, whatever it meant, had a way of keeping the worries and nightmares out of his head. As long as it was in his life, things would always be perfectly right.

Pretty soon, Lola summoned him with a high-pitched whistle, not unlike the sort a dog trainer would give to a wayward puppy. Her games weren't quite the kind of things he was interested in, but as long as someone was around to keep him company, he had a feeling he'd do just about anything. Anything was better than being alone.

He spent a good portion of the day sprawled out on the cold lobby floor, playing with Lola's vast collection of carved, wooden unicorns, along with Lola, Lana, Lily, Leni, Lynn, and, to his surprise, Lucy, who had by far the most imaginative ideas about what kinds of adventures the little toys should have.

They were pretending that Lily's dragon plushie (played by Lynn) was a big, mean monster that the ragtag band of unicorns had to defeat and lock up using the power of friendship. But soon, they figured out that the only reason the dragon was terrorizing their village was because he was lonely and wanted someone to keep him company. So now the unicorns were trying to teach the dragon how to be a good friend. They gave him lessons in etiquette, poetry, fashion, sports, and tea parties. A lot of tea parties.

"Raspberry Smoothie!" Lola's unicorn barked. "That's not the proper way to pour tea! We're trying to make a good impression! You know, so we don't get our houses burned down and stuff."

"Sorry, Moonshadow," Benny made his unicorn, the one currently attempting to pour the dragon a cup of tea, reply. "It's just that it's kind of hard to do these sorts of things when one doesn't have opposable thumbs. Plus, you're putting me under a lot of unnecessary stress here." Benny thought for a minute about what to do next. Playing pretend was kind of like improv, only with a little more direction and purpose. It wasn't as hard as he'd originally thought. "Maybe some quali-tea puns could lighten the mood and stop any trouble from brewing? Don't be chai, join in!"

All of the other unicorns turned to stare at his like it was nuts, but from her spot at the table, Luan stifled a laugh. He wasn't sure if her response was because of his puns or just because she found the idea of a spooky beast hanging out with girls and playing with unicorn dolls to be utterly hilarious, but either way, he couldn't contain his proud smile.

Lola nudged him with her elbow. "Well, what do you know? Someone thinks you're a cute-tea," she whispered.

Benny glanced over at Luan. "No, she doesn't. Or if she does, she means it in…well, you know, sort of the way a puppy is cute." He shrugged. "She probably thinks I'm like her pet."

Ha. That's kind of funny, actually. The beautiful comedienne and her tamed pet beast. A hilariously horrifying combination of half of the animal kingdom who's just clever enough to do a few more tricks than your average pooch. Coming soon to a freak show near you!

"Nah, it's something more than that," Lana insisted. "She's been smiling and giggling over you all night. Kept all of us awake." Leni and Lynn nodded their agreement, and Lily managed a yawn.

"Not to mention the pranks she's pulled on us today. I'm still trying to shake all her fake dog poop and plastic scorpions out of my sleeping bag. Ew," Lucy added. "If you're trying to court her, you're doing a pretty good job of it. She's totally lost her mind."

"I'm not trying to 'court' Luan!" Benny hissed. "It's just…I think she's really great and I want her to be happy. That's all."

"Well, she looks very courted to us," Lynn said. "Courty? Courtable? Huh, that one doesn't come up too often. Point is, she's head over heels for you, dude."

Benny gave them a skeptical look, stiffening his body to keep his tail from thumping on the floor. His thoughts, meanwhile, were a disorganized, hopeful mess. She does? She is?

"We know what you did last night," Lola added. "Lucy saw everything."

He cringed. "Everything?"

"Everything, everything," Lucy confirmed. "That kiss was a nice touch, Romeo."

Well, that was on him. He should've known to expect Luan's posse of siblings would be clocking his every move. Benny felt that all-too-familiar blush return to his face yet again as his gaze crept over to linger on Luan, though he quickly dropped it when he realized she was, coincidentally, staring at him. What was going through her head when she looked at him, not with the fear or disgust he would typically expect from a girl who'd just danced with and been kissed by a beast, but with something else, an emotion he couldn't quite understand or place?

I'd do it again right now in a heartbeat if you asked me to. A hundred times. If I knew–and believed, somehow–you wanted me to. Even here, in front of everyone, with all of them watching.

Because the truth is, I love you. I know perfectly well that I'm so stupid to hope for your love in return, but I'm such a mindless fool for you. And would you think it strange of me to admit that I sort of like being your fool?

He had no idea what on Earth she'd say to him if he ever voiced any of that out loud. So he didn't.

Instead, he silently endured her siblings' relentless teasing with an actor's practiced straight face, desperately trying to keep the burning question of Luan's affection out of his brain.

That was, after all, exactly where it belonged.

…

The rest of the day passed by in calm, contemplative quietude, which was rare now that such a huge, noisy family had taken over his house, but for the first time in years, Benny welcomed it. He had a lot of things to think about.

Luan's younger siblings chased after him while he mopped the floor and washed the windows. He was more than grateful when their conversation finally turned away from his fling last night with Luan and towards subjects he found far more enjoyable.

There was a weird sort of contract between them and himself, he realized. They, being the product of an absurdly huge family, hungered for undivided attention, which he could provide. Meanwhile, he, having spent years in dark, quiet solitude, was desperate for any company he could keep, even if it wasn't a certain lovely comedienne. This exchange was therefore perfect for all of them.

Lincoln talked about how, soon after he'd arrived at the party last night in his Ace Savvy costume, he'd stumbled upon a boy dressed up as the famous superhero's sidekick, One-Eyed Jack. The two had hit it off immediately, discussing comic books and future plans to meet up for more adventures. Though Benny knew very little about comics and heroes, other than that Luan found them to be pretty dumb, he listened politely. To his surprise, he actually found Lincoln's tales of Ace Savvy's various crime-fighting escapades rather interesting.

Lisa stepped away from her studies for a few minutes to ramble on and on about various scientific jargon that went completely over his head, though she seemed delighted when he provided her with some insights on alchemy, which had been a passion of one of his late tutors. Lola complained about her struggles in the acting industry, while Lana ranted about hers in the 'frog cuisine industry,' as she liked to refer to her newest project, which consisted of her teaching Hops how to use the castle's stove (with Lori's careful supervision, of course) so that she could fulfill her apparent lifelong dream of training the world's first amphibian chef.

Lynn discussed her interest in jousting, and offered to give him some pointers, but he firmly declared that he had no desire to ever get anywhere near the receiving end of any sharp weapons. Even Lucy managed to get a word or two in about the new romance novel she'd picked up from the bookstore yesterday, which had something to do with werewolves and vampires. Lily would gently tug on his tail now and again to show him something she'd found on the floor: a crumb, a button, a yellow petal, a weirdly-shaped dust bunny, though she still referred to him as 'Kitty-cat,' or 'Puppy-dog,' with an occasional 'Fluffy' thrown in the mix.

While they explored this new and strange environment, Lana's herd of animals kept their eyes on him, trying to make sense of the odd creature that came with it. To Benny's best understanding, most of them seemed to think of him as a very large dog. Charles would approach him now and then with a stick or rope, displaying his request for a playmate with a bow and a wagging tail. He seemed quite astonished when, instead of dropping to the floor for a canine game of tug-of-war, Benny picked up the object and threw it, engaging in a game of fetch just as any human would do. Cliff the cat hissed and snarled whenever he came near, and Walt the canary seemed content to watch him cautiously from the curtain rods, sticking to high vantage points where he was certain to be safe. Geo made himself as scarce as possible, which Benny completely understood, since whenever he caught sight of the little rodent, he had a sudden, inexplicable urge to pounce on him. As for the snake, Benny had no idea what it thought of him, or even if it had noticed him at all. He didn't dare to get close enough to find out.

Later that day, Luan and her two eldest siblings went outside with the washtub and thirteen sacks of dirty laundry, spending long hours doing nothing but scrubbing endless heaps of cloth. He watched from the window as she set up a clothesline between the trees, hung up her family's linens to dry, then immediately hid behind them and popped out to scare an unsuspecting Leni. Benny could tell she was laughing from the way she smiled, her shoulders shaking, and it occurred to him that she could probably laugh forever and he'd never get tired of seeing it, not once. She paused to give a wave to the window, catching him right in the act just as she'd done the night before they'd met. This caused Lori to nudge her side and say something that Luan responded to with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head.

He was in awe of how much happier she seemed than the day before–how much lighter, more carefree. Much more like the silly, smiling girl he'd fallen so horribly in love with.

When did I first fall for her? he wondered. Maybe I always have been, ever since she knocked on the door that everyone else was too afraid to look at. When she greeted me not with a scream, but with a laugh. And now, for better or worse, I don't think I can ever go back to the way I was before. She's messed me up way too badly for any hope of that.

"Yo, Benny," Luna said, and he realized with a start that she had been trying to get his attention for at least a good few minutes. "Where do you keep your spare parchment? Lis and I just experienced an…unfortunate incident." She gestured to the table, where Charles had just spilled over their inkwell, painting muddy pawprints all over their work, which earned him an exasperated facepalm from Lisa. Benny laughed, having no doubt that these kinds of crazy mishaps were common in this hilariously chaotic family of thirteen.

"Well, that's certainly a ruff situation," he replied. "But I don't think it's any paws for concern. It's upstairs, in my room. I can show you."

Luna shook her head at his puns. "Luan's a real bad influence on you, brah."

"I beg to differ." He guided Luna up the stairs, trying to hide his smile as he heard a parade of little feet come thundering after them. Benny shouldered open the door, his ears pulling flat as, to his surprise, there came a collective gasp.

He remembered in an instant, the recollection hitting him with the force of a horse-drawn chariot. Mentally cursing himself, Benny attempted to steer them away from the room, trying to keep them safe from the ghastly sight of his torn sheets, but the damage had already been done. And besides that, there were just too many children for one small beast to ever hope to control. They just brushed past him into the room, crowding around his bed. Their faces held a myriad of expressions that ranged from confused to concerned to full-on horrified.

Benny looked away, unable to stand the sight of their worried faces. He sank to the floor, drawing his knees tight against his chest and curling his tail tightly around his legs.

"Did Cliff do this?" Lana asked, her blue eyes wide. "I told him to be on his best behavior!"

"Negatory, elder sibling," Lisa said as she lifted up one of the tattered pieces. "The lacerations are much too long and far apart to have been done by a member of the felis catus species. Nor do they appear to have been caused by our canis familiaris. Verily, there is only one possible explanation." She blinked down at Benny with a thoughtful hand on her chin, though there was an unmistakable glint of worry in her hazel eyes.

Wordlessly, Benny nodded, confirming Lisa's theory.

In an instant, the children looked to him, many of them moving in closer or crouching down to his level. Lola, who was standing beside him, reached out to grip his hands in hers. The gesture was so similar to the ones Luan would sometimes perform that he marveled at the uncanny family resemblance. Meanwhile, all of the others assaulted his tired ears with an urgent, ragged chorus of questions.

How much do I tell them? How much would they understand, or care? "I had a nightmare. They can, um, get pretty violent. Sometimes." He looked down at his feet, but squeezed his eyes tightly shut at the sight of his wolfish paws–not nearly the sort of feet that were meant to glide across the floor in the company of a fair lady.

"It's because…Luan told you I'm under a spell, didn't she?" The children nodded, and he continued. "Well, time is running out for that spell to be broken. That's why your sister's been so frazzled and frizzled lately. And the closer it gets to becoming permanent, the worse these nightmares get." Trying to manage a wry smile, he added: "It's not very fun."

"What do you dream about?" Lola asked, her perfectly-manicured hands giving his a tight squeeze. Her voice was soft and her tone gravely serious, nothing like the loud, barking commands she usually made. "What are you afraid of, Benny?"

Very scary things, though maybe you wouldn't understand why some of them frighten me so. Broken lilies. Endless mazes. Cold nights. Crumbling castles. Your sister getting crushed to death, or turned to unblinking stone, or leaving–always leaving. Living out the rest of my days in silence, missing her and the person I could've been with her.

"Being alone."

His reply, though simple, sent a hush over the whole room. Benny supposed he should've predicted that would happen. After all, none of them had had a life that was anything like his. None of them knew what it was like to be alone, and he wasn't sure they ever would. Because they were the Loud family: a silly, happy storm of siblings that were always there to cheer each other up and keep each other laughing, even if they irritated each other every now and again.

Luna, the eldest in the room, was the first to break the silence. "Well, brah, you're not alone anymore." She leaned over to pull the ruined sheets off of his bed, rolling them into a ball on the floor. "And you never will be."

Her siblings were quick to chime in with smiles and words of their own, pointing out all of the things he'd done with them, the conversations they'd had and the moments they'd shared together. But because they were so swift and eager to speak, their words blended and blurred together, each child seemingly engaged in their own solitary mission to talk louder than everyone else.

Sweet midsummer nights, what did I ever do to deserve a family like this in my life? He looked at them and managed a weak, tired smile.

"Hey, quick question, though," Lynn interjected, her brows a concerned, furrowed line. "How do we know for sure that what happened to this won't happen to us?" She flapped an anxious hand at the ball of torn bedsheets.

The truth is, you don't. Not for sure. But I promised Luan I'd make you leave if things get any worse, and she knows that if I feel any sort of urge, I won't go anywhere near you.

"Benny would never do that!" Lana protested. A moment later, a cloud of doubt seemed to cross her mind, and she looked at him, her sapphire eyes big and worried. "Right? You're not going to kill us and eat us, are you?"

"No!" his voice came out hoarse, so he paused to clear his throat. "No. No. Lana, I would never. I promise. But if you ever don't feel safe here, or around me, I won't be hurt if you decide to leave."

Benny got up from his spot on the dusty floor and crossed the room. He pulled open one of the drawers of his desk, reached in, and pulled out a thin silver dagger. Given to him by his father at an age where he honestly should not have been handling sharp weapons, he had been taught how to use it in case he needed to protect himself from an assassin, or a criminal trying to kidnap him and hold him for ransom–a fate that had befallen several young princes in neighboring kingdoms.

But Benny wasn't the kind of person who deserved or needed protecting. These children were, and Benny wanted to keep them safe because he loved each and every one of them. And Luan most of all.

He presented the dagger to Luna, pressing the hilt into the palm of her hand. "And, just in case I ever do try to harm any of you," he said, "Don't hesitate. Stab me through the heart."

Luna spoke not a word in response, though there was a twinge of pain and worry behind her eyes. Her siblings had similar reactions; they were not used to hearing such a grave and somber tone from him.

"Don't talk like that," Lana whimpered.

"Yeah. It's gonna be okay," Lola added, though she sounded uncertain.

"I hope so." Benny ran a paw through his messy tangle of hair. "But please, if you could, don't tell Luan about any of this."

Lincoln cocked his head. "Why not?"
"Because if you tell her, she's going to worry. And if she worries about me, then I'm going to worry about her. It's kind of a big, neverending cycle of pain and misery."

"Hm. Because you like her," Lynn accused.

"Because I care about her," Benny corrected. "I don't know where you got that idea into your funny little heads, but do me a favor and get it out of there right now."

"You do like her, though," Lucy said. "You're clearly in love with her. We can all tell." All of her siblings vigorously nodded their heads. "You danced with her last night. You told her she was beautiful. Before you left, you kissed her."

And she seems surprisingly cool with it, a stubborn little tendril of his mind whispered.

No! Stop that! he thought back at it. Keep those ideas out of my brain! I don't need any more confusion, especially not when it comes to Luan. I've already established to you the fact that beautiful, fascinating girls like her don't fall for hideous creatures like me. So be quiet and stop thinking what you're thinking, you idiot.

"Your compatibility odds calculate as a very suspicious ninety-six percent." Lisa held up an ornately intricate chart covered in graphs and equations he didn't understand. "And math doesn't lie, you nincompoop."

"This is a completely irrelevant topic!" he insisted. "Look, even if I did…fancy her, which, just to be clear, I don't, it wouldn't ever work out anyway. She's way up here." He got to his feet and lifted one paw high above his head in a theatrical, sweeping gesture. "And I'm–" Now, he paused mid-sentence to crouch down, whistling a descending trail of notes as he slowly lowered his other paw to the ground until the tips of his claws brushed against the floor tiles. "-all the way down here. You'll understand one day when you're older."

"Maybe you're the one who's not understanding things," Luna replied. "She's crazy about you! I've never seen her so loopy before, and that's saying a lot. She definitely feels something fierce for you, but she's just stumped about how to tell you. Give her a little time and you'll see."

Benny shook his head. "No. It's…That's impossible."

"Yeah, but that's the thing about us Louds. We don't listen to what other people think is impossible," Luna said. "We just do it anyway."

I guess if I could count on anyone to defy the stars, it would be Luan. But I can't…I shouldn't…

"Don't let your head tell you what's possible, luv." Luna spotted the stack of parchment and pens on his desk and stepped over to pick them up, giving him a brown-eyed wink in the process. "Luan's full of surprises. Just like the rest of us."

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so." Luna snapped her fingers, drawing the attention of all of her younger siblings, and gestured toward the door. "Well. That mess won't clean itself up. Troops, assemble!"

The other children responded with hearty salutes and followed Luna out of his bedroom door, though quite a few of them stopped to look over their shoulder with anxious faces, as if to make sure he was still there. He gave them a furry thumbs-up to let them know that he was okay. Well, as okay as one could possibly be in a predicament such as this.

Hope was a pointless, futile emotion. Benny knew that well.

And yet…why was it always so hard for him to keep Luan out of his thoughts?

…

The castle library was so quiet, Luan had to constantly tap her feet and drum her fingers on the desk just so she wouldn't go insane. She'd moved there only a few minutes ago, hoping the change of scenery would help her concentrate. At the very least, it would prevent any more of Charles's hilarious mishaps.

Although, to be fair, libraries were kind of growing on her. The calm, muted ambience and the scent of books and ink reminded her of a certain cute, curly-haired prince. She wouldn't have been surprised (nor would she have minded) to see his fluffy brown tail disappear between the shelves.

Luan wondered if Benny had spent a lot of time in here since he'd been put under that spell. It seemed like the kind of place that someone lonely would be drawn to.

Would I have spent all of my days here, had that been me? Reading comedies by candlelight, hoping the sound of my laughter would distract my brain from the silence of the empty halls around me? Connecting to fictional characters because they were my only chance for company?

Oh, Benny. She fingered the buttons on his blue jacket with a pained sigh as she felt her heart break just a little more. He never deserved any of this.

Luan turned another page of her spellbook, trying to read the words through her tired, blurry eyes. I just wish I could figure out how to free him from this. I care for him. I do.

Maybe a little too much. Recalling the gentle, charming way he'd danced with her, like she really had been a fairytale princess, as well as the curious kiss he'd left her to try to decipher, Luan couldn't stop herself from beaming. The familiar sound of her giggles rose in her throat. He'd messed her up real bad.

She couldn't let him do that to her–couldn't let him think even for a minute that he was winning this little game against her. So, she found every opportunity she could to tease him and pull him close, keeping him just as surprised as he'd made her. She kept her eyes on him all of the time, delightfully mystified by the way he'd shyly look away whenever he caught her staring, as if she were the one with the horns and claws instead of the other way around. He was very amusing.

She wasn't totally sure what this strange atmosphere was between them, whether it was still friendship or if, perhaps, they'd somehow fallen into the forbidden territory of something else–something that made her quite alarmed and caused goosebumps to swell up on her arm.

All she knew for certain was that she was falling for him in a way that made her heart race and her skin feel warm and tingly. And that Benny was a lot of fun to tease.

Loud footsteps startled her out of her dazed thoughts, and a moment later, she was surprised to see all ten of her siblings come barreling into the room, each of them out of breath (save for Lynn, of course).

"Sweet mother of April Fools, where's the fire?" she quipped, only half-joking.

"Benny told us what you've been up to," Lincoln said.

"He told you everything?" she asked, and received a wave of nods in response.

Of course he did, Luan thought. He never liked how much stress and pressure I've been putting on myself to try to break this spell. I can tell he wants me to give up, but he knows I won't, so if there's anything he can think to do to make things easier for me, he's going to do it. Which includes letting my siblings know what I'm dealing with so they can take care of me when he can't.

Why does he have to be so sweet and caring? It would be a lot easier for me to deal with what might happen if I don't solve his curse if he were spiteful, mean, and cruel, but he's not. So it hurts to think about him and it hurts to be away from him.

"We want to help," Leni added.

Luan raised an eyebrow. "Really? All of you? Even–"

"Yep, even me," Lynn finished, though the pouty look upon her face indicated that she'd probably rather be outside playing badminton or scoring soccer goals. Luan admired her willpower. "But I have a question. Why isn't Benny in here? Why isn't he trying to find the answer to how to break this thing?"

That is an excellent question. "Benny doesn't think I can do it," Luan said. "He thinks his spell is unbreakable and he's just accepted that. So it's up to me to prove to him that he's an idiot who has no idea what I'm capable of."

An adorable, charming idiot, of course, but an idiot nonetheless.

"Where do we start, brah?" Luna's eyes wandered across the messy room, her face quite unnerved as she tried to make sense of her sister's cluttered, ink-stained workspace. Personally, Luan preferred to think of it as 'organized chaos,' but deep down, she knew she was anything but organized.

"The books are right there." Luan pointed a bored, tired finger to the piles on the desk. "Lisa's dictionary is over there, and the papers are…just about everywhere." She glanced down at the floor, where some of the scraps of parchment she'd been scribbling on had spilled right off her workspace and now lay scattered across the tiles.

Lori moved closer to get a good look at her younger sister. "Are you okay? You seem a little…" Her eyebrows scrunched together as she quested after the perfect word. "Blah."

"I bet if we got Benny to dance with her, she'd perk right up again," Luna suggested.

Well, that was one way to snap her back into focus. Her head jerked up at the mention of the dance she'd shared with the prince, revealing to one and all that this had in fact been the object of most of her thoughts. As a knowing chuckle reverberated across the library, Luan felt her face grow hot.

"Oh, be quiet, all of you!" she demanded, though her voice didn't sound nearly as strong and commanding as she'd wanted it to be. "I'm trying to do some serious work here."

"It never gets old hearing you, Little Miss Princess of Pranks, suddenly going on and on about things like 'serious work,'" Lynn said as she picked up a book. She flipped through the crowded pages and made a disgusted face, looking as though she was about to reconsider her decision until the others sent her a piercing glare.

"I know, I even surprise myself sometimes," Luan admitted. "But I guess when you care about someone, you're willing to do things that you wouldn't have ever done otherwise." Other than my siblings, I'm not sure anybody else but him could make this worth it. I mean…I'd like to think I'd still do it for someone else, but it'd be a lot harder. Benny is different, somehow.

"And you do care about him very much," Lucy said. "Don't deny it."

Though her face burned like a torch in response to Lucy's subtle suggestion, Luan did her best to keep her expression calm and serious. "I won't."

Soon, her siblings settled into a quiet routine. The elder ones (and Lisa) crowded around Luan's desk, flipping through books and conversing in low tones. The younger ones, meanwhile, were in charge of browsing the shelves for anything else that might offer some help, and keeping Lily from eating the parchment. Every now and again, one or another would leave the room to take a break, enjoying the rare luxury that came in the form of Benny's undivided attention. Once in a while, she'd hear him laugh at something one of her siblings had said. A simple sound, but it never failed to bring a smile to her face–something the others loved to point out.

Time passed slowly, so slowly that there were times when Luan thought of setting up an elaborate prank right in the middle of the dusty library, just for a change of pace. Some of her younger siblings started to get antsy, stepping away from the piles of books and chasing each other in between the bookshelves.

It was then that Lola, after tackling Lana to the floor and pelting her with paperbacks, stepped away for a minute to peer at the picture books lining the lowest shelves. As she scanned the titles, her eyes lit up and her face bore a mischievous grin. "Hey, Luan! What about True Love's Kiss?"

That got an amusing reaction out of their siblings. Some started to laugh right on the spot. Others scrunched up their eyebrows, confused as to what Lola was getting at. Still others gave a curious head-tilt, and Lucy even made a small noise of approval.

Luan, meanwhile, simply flushed, and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, that's how spells are usually broken in stories. And I would know. I happen to be something of a fairytale connoisseur myself." When she saw whatever kind of face Luan was currently making, she rolled her eyes with an irritated grumble, marching over to slap a stack of colorful books onto Luan's desk.

"Look, see?" Lola waved at the titles of each book–Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, The Frog Prince–with wild gestures. "In all of these books, somebody breaks a spell on somebody else with a kiss." When she saw Lisa smack her forehead, Lola glared at her. "What? It's not rocket science."

"It appears as though some of us have difficulty separating mundane reality from the daft whimsy of fairytale lore," Lisa countered. "Solutions such as those, though authentically, they might be rather entertaining to behold, are neither logical nor legitimate in any factually-proven way."

"I don't understand exactly what she said, but I think I agree with Lisa," Luan said. She put a reassuring hand on Lola's shoulder. "Look, I know you're trying to help, but real life doesn't work like that. It's hard, and messy, and sometimes just downright miserable. There's no simple, magical way to fix your problems. And that's just life."

"Hmph." Lola folded her arms with a glower. "Well, I still think you should try it."

"Yeah, me too!" Lynn agreed.

"We all know you want to," said Lucy.

Do I want to? Luan mused. Her cheeks felt so hot that she genuinely wouldn't have been surprised if they'd worked their way completely through the color spectrum, flying right past red and orange and landing on a very conspicuous deep purple. She recalled all of those close, tense moments with Benny where she'd thought about it–even leaned in close enough to potentially do it–and made a face. I think I do want to. Maybe I've always wanted to, ever since I met him. But…why do I want to? I don't really think that's going to work, do I?

Sweet love of comic relief. What would I do? What would I say? It was possible that she and Benny had been working their way towards that fine line between friendship and something more, but to cross that line in such a blatant, sudden way, so soon? That was clearly too far, wasn't it? And though she suspected there was some sort of feeling on his end, what if she was wrong? She'd been wrong about things before, lots of times.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder to herself how he'd react if she were to just grab this bull–or rather, this beast–by the horns and kiss him right then and there. If anything, at least it would put her ahead of him in this game they had created, right back in the lead where she wanted to be. Of course, it could also do the opposite. A move that bold could shatter everything that might be brewing between them, especially if she wasn't careful enough, which seemed likely given her personality.

Would it tickle, if I were to kiss him? She pondered over that for a minute, finding the subject far more enjoyable than it was probably supposed to be. Or maybe it'd be the opposite, much softer and smoother than if I were to kiss someone human. I wonder if he'd get all shy and flustered afterwards, like he usually does when I touch him. Or perhaps he'd do that thing he does sometimes where he surprises me and subverts my expectations. Maybe he'd just look at me with those adorable puppy-dog eyes of his, and tug me in closer, and then he'd…

That thought snapped her right back to reality with a sudden jolt. Whoa. That's way too far, Luan. Way too far! Stop thinking like that! She let out a frustrated sigh.

But a small, stubborn part of her mind still wouldn't let go of that idea. Oh, but I bet he'd be really, really fun to kiss.

"It's not going to do anything," she said, just as much to herself as to her siblings. "This isn't a fairytale. And even if it was–" she made a gesture to the books scattered about her desk. "-curses are always broken by a prince or princess. That's how it goes in every one of those stories. I'm not…I'm not the sort of person that could ever break a spell like that."

That seemed to take some of the light out of Lola's eyes. For good reason, I guess. A comedienne isn't the kind of person to suddenly find herself in a fairytale. She doesn't fit in any of Lola's storybooks. And the nearest kingdom is miles from here. By the time we finally found a real princess to break the spell, months would've passed and it would be too late.

There has to be some other way. Something I'm missing.

"Y'know," Leni interrupted. "I've always had this hunch that we might be distantly descended from royalty. Perhaps our ancestors were, I don't know, the rulers of some tiny loch in Scotland or something."

"Leni, that's ridiculous. You're all being ridiculous." Luan shook her head.

"That's rich, coming from the queen of ridiculous," Lana argued.

"A queen?" Leni repeated. "Then you really are royalty! You can break the spell! I knew this was a fairytale all along."

"That's not what she meant, Leni!" Lori cried. Turning to Luan, she said, "I know it seems a little far-fetched. But I think you should keep your options open. Don't write it out as ridiculous until you've tried it." Her face brightened up with a rare smile. "And personally, I think you should. Just to see what happens."

"Yeah! We wanna see you kiss him!" Lola said. Lynn started to pound her fists on the table, and the rest of their siblings joined in with a loud, repeated chant of "Kiss him! Kiss him!"

"No, no, no!" Luan shouted over the noise, throwing her hands over her ears. "I'm not going to do that!" She picked up one of the magic books off her desk and opened it wide, trying to keep her eyes on the words and not on her siblings' grinning faces. "I'm going to figure out the real way to break the spell, and get this nonsense out of your silly heads once and for all."

A chorus of disappointed sighs and grumbles could be heard from all corners of the room, which Luan did her best to ignore.

They're being silly, Luan told herself. They don't actually believe that's going to work, and neither should I. This is not a fairytale.

Not a fairytale. Even if he sometimes makes me feel like it might be.

…

Evening fell over the kingdom at last, and while her siblings had abandoned their studies an hour ago after a long day of mostly meaningless work (though Lisa had achieved a couple of potential breakthroughs), Luan hadn't taken a single break all afternoon. Only when she paused to rub her eyes and look up from her book for the first time in what felt like hours did she realize how exhausted and bored she truly was.

Setting down her book and trying to hide her disappointment in being unable to figure out the curse today, even though there wasn't anybody in the room to see her face, she got up from her desk and left the library. She knew the paths through the castle very well by now, and with little effort, she figured out which hallways led to the front door, where she'd be able to catch a breath of fresh air.

Luan opened the door and immediately felt a blast of cold night wind, though Benny's warm jacket protected her from the worst of it. Her heart gave a quick, abrupt kick against her ribcage when she realized Benny was sitting on the front steps, knees pulled tight against his chest, seemingly unaware of her presence.

She reached up to rap on the door, hiding a smile when she saw his ears prick up and his tail thump against the stairs. He turned his head to reveal a grin of his own. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Luan returned. "What are you doing?"

"Watching the stars," he said. "Well, Lisa was helping me point out the constellations, but then she–" he pointed a single claw at his lap, where Lisa was currently snuggled up, probably dreaming about particle physics or rocket aerodynamics. "So now it's just me."

Luan laughed, dropping down onto the steps beside him. "Which ones did she show you?"

Benny gestured to a curious squiggle of stars. "That's Princess Andromeda." Pointing to two more separate clusters, he added, "And those are her parents, the king and queen of Greece. They sacrificed their daughter to a sea monster, chaining her to a rock in the middle of the ocean, in order to save their kingdom. But, a hero called Perseus rescued her and killed the monster. Then they got married. A bunch of other stuff happened after that, I think, but I'd probably get the details wrong. It's been a while since I've read about mythology, or had anyone around to teach me anything."

"I see," Luan said. "Talk about a surprising chain of events. Did she show you the pizza one, too?"
He looked at her, confused. "What? There's no pizza constellation, Luan."

"Right there." She trained her gaze on a triangular pattern of glowing stars. "Lana made it up. See, there's the crust, and those red stars in the middle are the pepperoni slices."

He squinted hard. "Oh, yeah. I think I see it."

"And over there's Canis Major Pain. He's a dog, but with a snake for a tail, and the snake's always biting him in the rear. That's how he got his name. And if you look straight ahead, you can see the group of three-legged pirates escaping from the giant flying elephant after he crushed their ship." She grinned. "I made those ones up myself."

He studied the blobs she pointed out with a surprisingly scholarly look upon his face, then gave up the act and burst out laughing. "You have quite a weird imagination."

"I was six!" she cried, which only made him chuckle harder.

Suddenly, a bright, distant object lit up the sky. Luan's eyes followed it as it streaked across the horizon before vanishing off into someplace far away.

Benny reached out to gently place a hand on her shoulder. "A shooting star," he said. "Make a wish."

I wish I knew how to save you, Luan thought as she lifted her own hand, letting it rest over his. I wish I could set you free from this spell, and from this lonely life you've been living. Maybe then I'd get to see what you're like when you're truly happy.

She looked at him. "What did you wish for?"

"A thousand more days with you."

Even after all the times she'd seen him hurt or sad, still he managed to find a way to break her heart all over again. "Oh, Benny. You know I couldn't possibly–"

"Just one, then? One with no worries or fears. Without any problems or curses, either. Just us." Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, and his ears perked up and swiveled in the direction of the sudden sound. "Or maybe a few. A few days would be everything."

"I think I can do that," she told him, although she wasn't truly sure. But she wanted to do what she could to cheer him up, because he deserved that much–he deserved the world, actually, though she doubted he'd take it even if she offered it to him. She gave his hand a squeeze, and together they watched the stars in silence.

After a moment, she spoke up. "Thank you."

His ears flicked down in confusion. "For what?"

"For last night. For dancing with me, and trying to make me feel better. I really needed that."

"With all due respect, fair sun…the honor was mine."

Those words, like so many of his, caused her to blush. She should've been used to his praise by now because this boy was always such a charming sweet-talker, but ever as usual, she was stunned as the tingling sensation swept across her cheeks. Such a bizarre, funny feeling.

She didn't know what came over her then–maybe she really had been taking her siblings' words seriously the whole time despite their improbable nature–but before she could even register it, she'd reached up to seize his horns in her hands, tugging his face close to hers.

Benny made a startled noise, taken by surprise, but Luan didn't let go. She studied the fine, wiry fur on his cheeks, his cute, kitten-like nose, the quick twitches of his pointed ears, and, for the first time, she noticed the deep worry lines around his eyes.

It's so strange. Whenever I really look at him like this, I don't know whether to smile or cry.

His dark eyes locked onto hers, so timid and uncertain, as though he had no idea what she was doing or what her intentions were, which, to be fair, neither did she. He was stiff and silent as she brushed her forehead against his, feeling the silly tickling sensation of his silky hair against her skin, and hearing his breath catch in his throat.

It would be so easy to kiss him right now, she thought. If I just tilted my head a little, I could catch him square on the lips, probably totally off-guard. I'd beat him at his own game for sure.

She was just about to leave things to chance and do it when thoughts of doubt suddenly struck her brain full-force. It's too far! Too soon! We're barely even friends! And you have no idea what he thinks of you! You're probably just confusing him, making things worse for him.

Gently letting go, she edged back, staying close to him, but a tamer close, a safer close. She desperately attempted to gauge the reactions and emotions battling across his face and flinched when she saw the way his ears had pulled back in fear, his pupils wide and dilated. If he hadn't been covered in fur, Luan thought his face might've been as white as a sheet.

I did overstep my boundaries, didn't I? Dang it, you're always doing this, Luan lectured herself. You're so impulsive that thinking itself becomes an afterthought. And now you've gone and made him scared of you.

Very smooth, Luan. Very, very smooth.

The more she squinted at him, the more she wondered if maybe there was something in him that did want her to do…whatever she'd been about to do. He didn't pull away or push her back each time she came close like this. On the contrary, he kept still, even leaning into her touch on occasion, as though he wanted it. Or maybe she was reading too far into things, and he really didn't like it, but was just too polite to tell her.

My cute, kind, shy, silly Benny. What are you thinking? Do I even want to know?

I mean, I do, but should I?

Dozens of ideas of what to do, what to say next swarmed around her dizzy head, though none of them seemed quite right. She'd backed herself into a difficult corner, yes she had, caught between a castle made of stone and a quiet, fluffy boy who stared at her with deep, mesmerizing eyes, blinking slowly as though he was staring at an ancient riddle that no one in a thousand years had ever been able to solve. A rock and a hard place. All while she fantasized about doing God-knows-what to him, letting herself admit that she had in fact started to fall hard for him, but still wondering (even fearing) if he felt nothing of the sort for her.

And to think she'd been the one to instigate it all! It had been her hands that had put her in this position and ensnared her like this. Ensnared them like this, all twisted and tangled up into knots of hope and fear. She was the one bringing this ruin upon herself, nobody else. If this were a play, she'd be the tragic hero for sure, meeting her demise from nothing but her own fatal flaws.

"Thank you. For everything," she repeated to him, hoping her serious face masked the downward spiral of her thoughts. Her trembling hands unbraided the buttons of his jacket, and she carefully slipped the garment off her arms and shoulders and handed it to him. It was odd, she thought, how quickly their fingers collided as he took it from her, their connection so easy even while her thoughts felt so hard.

It was also odd how the sensation of the night air on her shoulders instantly transported her back to that dance, to violins and twirly yellow dresses and a kiss on the hand from a prince.

What did that mean? she asked herself for the thousandth time that day. Maybe I should just ask him, really super-duper casually, what he meant by that. Just, you know, tell him to define that kiss for me. Define us.

I have no idea how to go about doing that, though. It sounds so simple in theory, but it's really hard to assign actual words to anything I feel, especially when it comes to what I feel for him. How do Lori and Bobby make it happen so easily?

From Benny's lap, Luan heard Lisa stir, muttering something sesquipedalian in her sleep, and moved to take her from him, a little exchange, in a way, for his jacket. Her sister grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in Luan's lap as though she had much preferred being in Benny's, which Luan completely understood. I guess I can't keep him to myself all the time, she mused, the thought laced with a tint of affection.

She settled Lisa into her arms, stood up, and edged towards the still-open door. It wasn't that she actually wanted to leave him, but she knew her family would most likely be preparing to leave soon–they'd have to go quickly before the clouds covered up the light from the moon and stars. And besides that, she needed a moment to process what had just happened between them, and she figured he did, too.

As she walked through the doorway, starting to pull the door closed behind her, Benny called her name.

"Luan?"

She hesitated, her hand on the doorknob, and let her gaze fall on him. The look in his eyes was so intense that it was hard for her to meet them with her own. Luan gave him a nod, waiting for him to continue.

"Please be careful."

For the love of puns, he's still beating me at this game! They were only three simple words, and yet they made her heart flood with feelings. Even after all the pain he'd endured, here he was wishing for her safety, instead of the other way around. As if this ridiculous boy didn't know that it was her duty to protect him!

Though in hindsight, she was doing a terrible job of it.

"I will," she promised, flashing him what she hoped counted as a smile. She hated having to leave him like this, especially in moments like now, when she wanted so much more of him than she was supposed to have.

The minute the door was completely shut, Luan sank to the ground with a heavy sigh, letting out the intense feelings she'd been holding in for his sake.

I can't believe I've just done it again. So many times I've come so close to kissing him. What is wrong with me? Am I losing my marbles? I mean, if I'm daydreaming about locking lips with a beast, I must really be out of my mind, right?

Hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to keep herself from succumbing to him, not when he continued to be so gentle and charming and perfectly cute in every way. That amount of cuteness just shouldn't exist. It was unnatural and it drove her totally crazy.

I really am losing my marbles! she thought, surprising herself with another little giggle. I don't have any of them left. All gone, down the drain!

Hmm. I'm not as sad or worried about that as I should be. Luan picked herself up and started pacing the halls, lost in thoughts of Benny. Every now and again she'd lift a hand to stroke Lisa's hair, which wasn't quite as soft as Benny's had been against her forehead, but it satisfied her anxious, busy hands, so it was good enough.

And Benny's not a beast, Luan reminded herself. On the outside, sure, but deep down, underneath the fluff and claws, there's a human boy inside him trying to break free. I have to try to drag him out of there, whatever it takes.

Luan hadn't realized she'd been absentmindedly walking towards the attic until she inexplicably ended up right in front of the door. There was some kind of compulsive, obsessive urge within her to constantly check that flower, just to get an estimate as to how much time she had left. It wasn't that she didn't trust Benny, but he did sometimes have a habit of not telling her the complete truth, hiding certain things from her to spare her feelings.

Might as well go in since I'm already here. Just a quick peek.

Cautiously, silently, so as not to wake Lisa, Luan opened the door and climbed the narrow flight of stairs into the small room. Her fingers brushed along the silvery cobwebs lining the wall, a few of the silken strands pulling away from the stone surface and clinging to her skin. The room was unsettlingly quiet. As she stepped into it, she could hear the squeaks and creaks of every floorboard beneath her shoes.

The lily's ethereal glow was even more striking in the darkness, bathing Luan's skin in its unnatural golden light. It truly did feel like something out of a storybook.

She felt the urge to reach out and press a palm or a fingertip to the glass of the bell jar that held it and kept it safe from the outside world, and was only barely able to restrain herself. She wasn't quite sure what would happen if she did–she knew nothing about magic except that it was unpredictable and a lot harder than it looked–and she couldn't bear to risk making her friend's situation any worse.

As she studied the flower closely, her eyes finally adjusting to its bright glare, she realized with a shock that things had in fact gotten worse. The third petal had fallen.

There was absolutely nothing cute or funny about that.

It's already halfway gone. Time truly is running out. And I still have no clue what to do.

She was overcome with such deep, painful stabs of fear and sadness that her legs felt weak and wobbly, rendering her unable to stand. So she gave in, dropping to the floor and pressing her back against the stone wall, hoping its cold solidity could offer her some security. Calm and oblivious to her sister's plight, Lisa's small, warm body squirmed in Luan's arms as she dared to look up once again at the enchanted yellow artifact that would soon seal her poor prince's doomed fate.

Oh, my sweet Benny. How can I ever try to save you when you're slipping away from me so quickly?

...

A/N: "I'm going to try to tone it down a bit in the next chapter." NOPE. And I'm not even going to attempt to explain myself this time. Am I impressed? Intimidated? Disappointed in myself? All of the above! All I know is that I'm literally not even trying to control this fic anymore. I'm just letting it grow up into whatever it wants to be. And apparently what it wants is to be hopelessly unhinged. I really don't get paid enough for this job!

If you've been checking back on this fic, you'll notice that it's now got some cover art! That's courtesy of my fandom buddy, meilodramatic, of course, who continues to draw the most beautiful fanart in the entire fandom. I've said it once and I'll say it again, thank you so much, Mei! I think you're AMAZING! :)

And yes, my chaotic brainchild has now been in the world for SEVEN MONTHS. It really IS funny how time passes so quickly, isn't it? And it's funnier still how I didn't even notice it was my fic's seven month anniversary until literally 11:40 PM on the date. I just looked up at my calendar and went, "Oh, hey, today's my fanfic's seven monthsary!" and shortly after that, I fell asleep. I can't wait to see what the future brings, and I hope you'll all still be hanging out here with me when it turns a year old! (Wow, still trying to wrap my brain around that concept).

So, I hope you liked this new chapter! Feel free to yell at me in the review section about how long this was. I think I deserve to be yelled at a little for this. XD