❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

7

y/n's peaceful slumber was abruptly shattered by a loud noise emanating from upstairs, jolting her awake with a start. with a groan, she sat up in her chair, her muscles protesting the uncomfortable wooden seat after her restless sleep. rubbing at her sore neck and back, y/n let out a frustrated sigh, her thoughts still muddled with sleep as she tried to make sense of the commotion above.

what could possibly be causing such a racket in the dead of night? as the noise persisted, y/n's brow furrowed in concern. whatever was happening, seemed to be centered around the upper floors of the castle.

turning her attention to calcifer, who burned brightly in the fireplace, y/n whispered his name, her voice tinged with urgency. "calcifer, what's that?"

"howl's back, that's what and he's using up all my hot water." calcifer replied, clearly annoyed. "hey," the small blaze soon added before extending one of his little fiery arms and pointing off to the side where a small lump of logs are residing. "do you think you can pass me another log? i'm running low on fuel here." he pointed out the obvious.

y/n's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, her mind racing with questions. howl's return had caught her off guard, and she couldn't help but wonder what had prompted his sudden arrival. or, more importantly, why calcifer didn't bother to tell her right away when he returned. was wizard howl aware of her presence in his castle, or was his return merely a coincidence? however, once the small blaze in front of her requested her to retrieve more fuel, y/n gathered her bearings by clearing her throat.

"y-yeah...sure thing."

getting up from her seat, yn's footsteps echoed softly against the cold stone floor as she made her way over to the stack of logs where she gathered a few more logs and tossed them into the fireplace, the crackling flames dancing eagerly as they devoured the fresh fuel.

as she turned to make her way back to her seat, her eyes caught sight of something out of place—a neatly folded nightgown, nestled beside one of the wooden legs of the chair. frowning in confusion, y/n knelt and picked up the garment, running her fingers along the soft fabric.

'this wasn't here before...' she thought to herself, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. what could possibly explain the sudden appearance of it?

lost in her thoughts, y/n barely registered the sound of calcifer's voice as he spoke from the fireplace. "it's for you," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

surprised by the unexpected revelation, y/n's gaze snapped up to meet calcifer's fiery gaze. "for me?" she repeated incredulously, her mind struggling to process the revelation.

calcifer nodded in affirmation, his flames dancing with renewed intensity. "howl made it..." he explained, his voice now quiet and soft. "maybe he thought it would be better for you to wear it than those dirty clothes you've got on. i-i don't know. just—consider it a gift." he finished, averting his gaze.

y/n's heart fluttered at the thoughtfulness behind howl's gesture, "how kind..." she whispered but just as she was about to go walk off and change into her new clothes, she stopped and promptly turned herself around to face the fire demon once more. "um, calcifer?" she called out.

"yeah? what do you want?"

"where's the bathroom...?" she asked.

just when she thought it was impossible to do so, calcifer's flames became darker, redder than even the deepest mahogany. was he blushing? not only that but if she didn't know any better, y/n would say that he was flustered by the question. "howl is..." he trailed off, his voice cracking. he cleared his throat to fix it. "howl is using the only one," he stated but after briefly looking back at y/n, seeing that she was upset that she'd have to wait just a little while longer to change out of her ruined garments, he added: "b-but there is a spare bedroom you could use!" he nearly shouted. "it's the first door you'll come across when you go up the stairs..." he specified.