Basked In Golden Light [Xerxes Break x Reader]

XIII.

"Slice the Cake, Slice Her Skin."

***

Slowly, your eyes fluttered open.

And you were terrified, to say the least, when Break's scheming face invaded your field of vision, as he towered over you.

You shouted of course, and Break found your discomposed state quite amusing, as he was doubled over with laughter not a moment later. You cursed, feeling even more insulted when Emily's high-pitched laughter mixed with Break's.

You stood up immediately, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of yourself, and with as much poise ( and as little hostility ) you could gather after such an embarrassing moment, you asked him, "What do you want, Xerxes Break?"

Just to add insult to injury, Break snickered, and Emily snorted. "The lady's having some tea, and she asked me to come fetch you."

"Alright, then."

You took quick strides towards the door, not stopping even when you didn't hear Break's footsteps trail after yours. You wanted to make it perfectly clear his stunt earlier wasn't appreciated.

"Oh, and by the way, it looks like a couple of rats celebrated the birthday of their aunt - and they chose your hair as the venue."

***

A cup of tea and a half later, you and Break exchanged glances, and he smiled at you. You knew it was his silent way of being apologetic, and you nodded, and all was right again.

You plucked a cookie from a stack of nearly identical ones, feeling the warmth engulf the pads of your index finger and your thumb. You bit off a small chunk, chewing quietly, while Break shoved what was probably his fourth mini-cake into his mouth.

You suddenly felt very sorry for the cook that operated in the mansion.

With that thought in mind, you didn't notice a stranger walk in and place himself next to Break. Break gave the man a clever grin, which went unnoticed by both you and Sharon. The man ignored Break's gesture, and greeted Sharon.

All the while, you ate another cookie, waiting patiently for an introduction the man, who bore a striking resemblance to Oz.

***

"(F/N) and I are going out in a while, " Break announced with animated hand gestures. "I believe the two of you haven't met yet."

He pointed his thumb at you, "That's (F/N)." Break turned to face, and motioned towards the man with both hands. "This is Oscar, the uncle of our good friend Oz."

"I think the both of you are gonna get along just fine, " he mused, "you both have really crappy hair."

Oscar looked at you, and the two of you deadpanned, sharing mutual feelings of dislike towards the white-haired Contractor, who was clutching the chair's top rail as he laughed.

"What are you planning, Xerxes Break?" he asked.

"That's mean! I'm just going to check on something, is all!"

 Oscar turned to you, not believing any of Break's words. You didn't, either. "What is he planning, (F/N)?"

You shrugged. "For all I know, we could be going out to have some cake. I don't know any more than you do."

***

[ heads up : you, Break and Alice are already in Cheshire's dimension - and Break already disappeared into the mirror. ]

[ yeah yeah i know i skipped a lot but i want the plot to progress already ]

Cheshire, moving as skillfully and as quietly as he was able, appeared behind you, a trail of shadows by his tail. After seeing Break get taken by the hand and sucked into a mirror, you screamed, nearly breaking the nearby mirrors in your wake.

Cheshire grabbed you, pinning you against the wall, with his claws by your throat, and the other one digging into your waist.

"You nasty little mongrel. . ." he whispered.

Cheshire drew blood. And it trickled down your neck sickeningly, you tried to wriggle yourself free, but you knew that if you kept moving, he might draw blood again.

Cheshire, with his pointed claw, designed another trail of fresh blood. And with a low purr, he finished his sentence.

". . .how would you like me to kill you?"