Apologies for the late update but my brain refuses to work with me ;-; I couldn't get my Wu Chang fanfic done on time so here's our baby boi again uwu The story was actually full on angst but I decided to add some fluff to it so I hope you guys would enjoy-
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Life in Oletus Manor wasn't exactly all rainbows and sunshine. Yes, most of the participants were most likely decent human beings and they tend to mind their own business unless their friends were in trouble but there were also people like Freddy, Servais and Kreacher. They were the main examples of a person that anyone could easily detest without trying. Unlike the magician or thief, they were more tolerable but Freddy was the worse compared to those two survivors.
It was already hard for anyone to approach especially when it was revealed by Emma that he was the reason why her father got scammed and he made no attempts to hide this fact, adding fuel to the fire as well by stating that her father should not have believed such a blatant lie in the first place. To make the other residents to find him more revolting, during matches, the lawyer would constantly pick on either Helena or (Y/N) since he found them to be annoying to deal with due to the fact that they were disabled. Recently, he had decided to change his target, laying his eyes on the florist since they were oftenly teamed up for matches to both their displeasure.
"Hmph. I believe that mute should just sacrifice herself for her teammates. She shouldn't decode but keep the hunter distracted until she drops." Freddy purposely grumbles loud enough for those sitting near him to hear, since the only other survivors were Victor and Servais, he didn't have any problems to voice out his insensitive comments which he should have kept it to himself. "I agree. There's no better job for her other than to die for the sake of her teammates. I cannot understand what's going through her mind whenever she chooses to decode instead." The magician agrees without a single doubt when all those words coming from their mouth were nothing but false claims.
As much as Victor would love to stand up for (Y/N), his argument would definitely lead to a bigger mess without a doubt since both the magician and lawyer were very entitled to their opinions even if it meant that their reputation in the manor was already bad enough. Their pointless comments went on deaf ears to the female survivor since she was used to it way before she arrived at the manor but Victor couldn't help but fidget in his seat, being more affected by their words than the victim herself. So in order to reassure her that she was doing just fine, he tapped light on her shoulders to get her attention, showing her a small piece of paper with his thoughts written on them.
"Please do not feel discouraged by their comments. Don't take their words to heart. Don't listen to what they are saying too. Freddy and Servais do not know how valuable you truly are to the team. You can do any job you prefer and I am certain that you will do better even if they combine both their work together! If you feel troubled please feel free to tell me, I'll lend my ear for you to rant and if the problem can be fixed, I'll do my best to help!" The thin line which was formed on her lips soon turned into a smile after reading Victor's encouraging messages. "Gosh that's so nice of you Victor, worry not! Their words barely affect me at all. In the end they're just wasting their breath on me."
Victor always wondered where she had received her strength from, surely, it must be exhausting to deal with such terrible people from time to time even if it wasn't common. He could only understand what she must have gone through to a certain extent since he had received the same treatment for being so quiet and if being silent was already enough to get him into unnecessary troubles as a kid, it must have been worse for someone who doesn't even have a voice at all. No, she really did experience far more things worse than he did as he recalls the past memory she has shared with him. It was painful for her but she stated it was all in the past.
"If you are comfortable, would you like me to accompany you during this match?" Victor offers kinly with a small smile, preparing for rejection even though there was a small possibility of her turning down his offer especially when they were such close friends. (Y/N) appeared to be surprised at his sudden caring gesture since it was a well known fact to everyone that he never enjoyed communicating with others and preferred to be alone most of the time, so his offer turned to be ironic as it would only mean that he wanted to stay by her side. How strange.The postman knew deep down how weird it was for the suggestion to come from him instead but he wasn't stepping down unless (Y/N) rejected him. 'Do people always change their mindset this easily?' He questions himself, not knowing the answer quite well.
"Of course! Please take good care of me, Victor!" Her grin grew wider when Wick suddenly jumped on her lap, as if to say that he wants to take part in helping his owner to protect the florist from harm as well.
~
"Tsk. If you want to decode, do it properly." The lawyer mumbles under his breath again but both the florist and postman were able to catch his words perfectly without trying to. It was evident to both of them that Freddy was up to his usual bullcrap again which caused the blonde to be ticked off. When the lawyer continued his bickering when (Y/N) had accidentally made one mistake without meaning to, that was the last straw. Since their presence were considered to be a hindrance, it was only obvious the reasonable choice for Victor to make would be leaving the lawyer all on his own to decode while they decode together at another nearby cipher.
"What are you doing?!" Freddy raises his voice in disbelief that the postman would actually have the guts to miss a calibration on purpose, gently taking the florist's hand as he dragged her away from the area. It should be fine anyways since they were already on their last cipher and Servais was doing a decent job in kiting so far. "What's wrong?" (Y/N) asks with a concerned expression on her face since his behaviour was more than just strange today. It wasn't like him to lose his cool that easily. "I'm sorry but I couldn't stand what Freddy was saying about you and I just...sorry." Oh how thoughtful of him. "You have nothing to apologise for. Thank you Victor, you're always thinking for me aren't you? I'm grateful to have such a good friend like you."
'Right. Friends. We're just friends.' The postman internally cries as they return their attention back to the cipher machine they were decoding. After a few minutes of decoding in silence, Servais finally went down and they were close to finishing the cipher machine but it wasn't primed yet. "I'll go rescue him." The florist informs him but he was reluctant to let her go, afraid something may happen to her especially when the person she was planning to save is the magician who was most likely going to use her as bait as a last resort.
Without failing to notice the worried expression he wore, she reassures him by giving the postman a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I'll be fine! I'm counting on you to pop the cipher!" And with that, she immediately runs off to save her teammates, fully aware of the fact that the lawyer was incapable of saving since he did not have the guts to do so. Watching her small figure disappearing in the distance caused his stomach to churn, a bad feeling was starting to grow within him. "She'll be fine won't she, Wick?" The postman picked up his companion and hugged him closely to his chest, hating how anxious he felt at the moment.
~
On that day, Victor wished that he had listened to his gut instincts to follow after the female survivor instead of standing by the side, waiting for one of his teammates to go down before popping the cipher. He hated himself for believing that the lawyer would have a sudden change of heart when he saw the critical condition she was in, he was a fool to think that Freddy wouldn't turn a blind eye on how dire the situation was. How could he have expected someone like him to save (Y/N) when all he cared was only his well-being?
Victor greatly despised himself for not being able to do anything as well as he watches the female survivor bleed out to death with his very own eyes as he gets carried away by the hunter who refuses to listen to what he has to say. No matter how much he tried to struggle to escape from Bane's iron grip, begging him to pause the match so that he could check on the florist, his words went on deaf ears and his efforts were futile. That was the first time anyone has seen him screaming at the top of his lungs, calling out to (Y/N) who would never give him a response as she remains motionless on the floor.
The postman releases a shaky breath as his hand reaches for the handle of the door to the infirmary, where she was resting since her condition was far from stable yet and the doctor needed to keep a close eye until she was fit to return to the match. Opening the door quietly, he was met with a trembling florist who tightly held onto Emily for support, burying her face in the doctor's shoulder where a damp spot could be seen. That was all it needed for Victor's heart to shatter into a million pieces. Although (Y/N) did not have a voice, he could tell how much pain she was suffering from. How devastated and frightened she must be to wake up to a dark world where she would no longer be able to see the bright colours she was once used to. The accident had caused her to lose her sights forever.
Ever since that day, the postman has been afraid to show his face to (Y/N) from the guilt which he felt. Even though the florist has a huge heart to forgive him for the mistakes which he had never committed in the first place, Victor felt a strong sense of responsibility for failing to protect the female survivor from harm since before the match had started, breaking the empty promises he had made for himself to stay near her at all times just in case something like this had happened. He despised himself for allowing such a cruel fate to fall upon (Y/N) this easily when it could have been avoided if only he had reacted faster.
Currently, the postman was standing right in front of the door again. Debating if he truly had the rights to comfort or even see her right now. His mind was in a frenzy as his hand reached out to the handle, twisting it as the door opened slightly, enough for him to peek through to have a clear view of (Y/N)'s condition. As usual, she was staring off into space with a blank expression on her face. His heart ached at the sight, forcing himself to face the reality which he has failed to change. The pain in his chest grew the longer he continued to stare at the florist. Before he could have the chance to close the door quietly and walk away, his companion barked loud enough to catch (Y/N)'s attention who had snapped her head towards his direction, causing him to jump slightly in surprise.
Just when Wick was about to force his way into the infirmary from the tiny gap, Victor released a short gasp as he quickly scooped up the dog in his arms, wanting to retreat as soon as possible. "I-I'm sorry!" He apologised before turning on his heels to run but the loud crashing sound of objects dropping forced him to stop in his movements as his eyes widened once again in horror when he saw (Y/N) who was no longer on the bed but on the cold hard floor instead. Without any hesitation, he immediately rushes back inside the infirmary to assist the poor maiden, repeating his apologies as if he was a broken recorder.
His eyes were brimmed with tears when he finally got a chance to have a closer look at the florist's poor condition. They started to leak out from his eyes when the female survivor placed both her hands over his cheeks, gently wiping away all the tears which were trickling down his face. Victor felt ashamed for crying when he was supposed to be the one who was comforting her, not the other way around. Honestly, he couldn't tell if he had the right to be sobbing in front of her when she was the one who was in a worse state than he was. "I'm sorry. I truly am." He begins to apologise once again with a shaky voice which causes the corner of her lips to tug downwards, wondering what she could do to capture his attention completely without breaking down again.
When the female survivor could tell that his tears were slowly subsiding, one of her hands shifted to move closer to his head to gently pat it in a loving manner. Daring not to make any more physical contact than she already was, still fully aware of the fact that the postman disliked being touched by another person but this was the only way she knew how to comfort and it seemed to be working anyways. Unbeknownst to her, Victor was actually perfectly fine with being touched by her. He even mentally prepared himself to talk to (Y/N) due to the fact that she could no longer see what sort of hand gestures he was using and writing on her palm would only be inconvenient.
"I- I- uhm..." Noticing how the postman was struggling to start a conversation, trying to voice out his thoughts which were stuck in his throat, she decides to lend him a helping hand by initiating the little chat they were going to have first. It was better than letting him run off first anyways since Victor and Wick were her only company at the moment since the others were far too busy with their matches recently. "Have you recovered?" Gently holding onto his palm, she begins to write on it with her finger, starting off with a simple question, her smile growing slightly wider when Victor replies with a soft "Yes..."
Although her world is complete pitch blank now, she didn't need her sight to tell her that Victor was wearing a sorrowful face as he stared deep into the injuries which would never recover. It was truly a pity since this would only mean that she could no longer read the wonderful letters Victor would oftenly send to her but his heartfelt words she had read previously were carved right into both her mind and heart. "Oh thank goodness, the last time I remembered you were scratched up pretty badly too. We can't have that now can we?" (Y/N) continued to speak with her usual cheerful appearance as an attempt to lighten up the mood. It would be pretty awkward for either of them if the atmosphere remained gloomy.
Even though the postman has yet to speak a single word, she could already predict what sort of thoughts were running through his head. It just wasn't right to put the blame on himself especially when he was not the cause of her misfortune, if someone has to take the responsibility it would be either Bane or Lawyer since they could have done something to prevent this horrible situation from happening but they decided to choose to overlook her condition instead. Fortunately, Miss Nightingale could not leave them as they were and both the hunter and survivor received the treatment they deserved but no matter how heavy their punishments were, they could never rewind time to bring back her sights. So as a resolve, (Y/N) thought the best solution was to let go of this unnecessary baggage. Of course, this doesn't mean she was going to let them off this easily.
Victor then tries to voice out his words but what came out from his mouth were just a bunch of stuttering and mumbling which causes a confused expression to appear on the female survivor's face as she did everything to understand what he was saying. Taking notice of how lost she looked, his cheeks turned pink from slight embarrassment at the realisation he had been mumbling to himself all this time. (Y/N) felt somewhat guilty for thinking how adorable Victor was whenever he was flustered while the poor guy was most likely having a mini breakdown on the inside. "It's okay, it's okay. Just take your time to collect your thoughts."
No longer wanting to lose his cool anymore further, the postman takes her advice into consideration and decides to write on her palm for now. It seems like more time was needed if he wanted to properly communicate with the person who he adores so much. "What about you? Have you been doing well?" There were countless questions he wanted to ask but he pushed them to the back of his head since her well being and mental health was more important than anything else. "Well, it's still a little difficult for me to adjust...I hope I can get used to it soon." Upon hearing her struggles, the blonde felt the urge to assist the poor maiden, partly due to his guilt. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Her eyes widened slightly at his sudden offer but she wasn't surprised by it. Fully aware of the fact that it was impossible to change his mind and it was better off to accept his help. "Then could you continue to accompany me as you have always done before? I really enjoy your presence, Victor." Although there were no hunters nearby, the pace of his heart has increased and it felt as if all of the blood in his body had rushed up to his face. It was difficult to doubt (Y/N)'s words, she was always so genuine with her words even in person and the letters which she wrote. Taking a deep breath before exhaling, he gathers all his courage to give her a simple response which would cause her smile to grow brighter.
~
From that day onwards, Victor has set his mind on being more vocal when he was around her. The words spoken out from his mouth used to be short at first but as time gradually went by, he was able to overcome his weakness by speaking to the florist without having any issues. There were times where he would stutter but no one has heard how delightful his voice would sound whenever the young maiden was with him. Currently, the two survivors along with the postman's companion were in the garden as he described the vibrant colours of the many different flowers which have begun to bloom for the florist to picture in her head.
"Is something the matter...?" Even after bringing the florist to her favourite place in the manor, her troubled expression from before soon returned after their conversation had ended. It was quite worrying to see her own thoughts were slowly starting to get to her. Fortunately enough, (Y/N) was surprisingly open when it came to what sorts of difficulties she was facing and for her to bottle up her feelings was rare. "Oh sorry...It's just times like these, I would tend to wish that I still had my sights. I remember I used to come here to pick the right flowers for you." Just the reminder of how (Y/N) actually knew who her secret admirer was from the very beginning has caused a faint blush to take form on his features.
During those long periods of time, the postman was tricked into thinking that the florist had never discovered the true identity of her secret admirer thanks to a certain prisoner who managed to convince the poor guy without much effort. Despite how the two survivors already knew their true feelings for each other, neither stood up to confess to the other as they were fine with their current relationship at the moment. This didn't mean Victor did not wish to take a step forward but he wanted to make sure (Y/N) was comfortable to take that step alongside with him before proceeding on his own.
Recently, for the past few weeks. The florist has been showing signs of discouragement from the number of mistakes she has repeated without meaning to. Both Helena and Emily had tried to reassure (Y/N) that it was a normal reaction as she needed more time to adjust to her new environment and there was no need for her to pressure herself into rushing. Although the female survivor understood where they were coming from, it was impossible to prevent her thoughts from flooding into her head to cease all at once. Which was the reason why they were in the garden today in the first place. Yes, it was an attempt to cheer her up but the postman also had another plan in mind. A plan to prove to (Y/N) that she could carry out daily tasks or her hobbies even without her sight or voice. One perfect example was how she could still use sign language and if it was too difficult for anyone to understand, she could still write down on their palm.
"Would you like to pick one on your own?" His suggestion has caused her to be greatly confused before it was replaced with hesitation. The idea itself was nice but was it truly possible for her to differentiate many different kinds of flowers in the garden without any assistance? Nonetheless, she came to a conclusion where it was better to do something as a method to distract herself rather than staring off into the dark and empty space as she indulges in self-pity which she has done for the past few days. Not wanting to continue this unhealthy habit for any longer, she agrees with the postman's idea which causes a smile of approval to take form on his features.
Victor then proceeds to move Wick away from (Y/N)'s lap, placing his companion gently on the floor before placing all his focus on aiding the female survivor to the nearest bushes. The first one was surprisingly easy to tell apart from the others due to its structure of the stem and strong fragrance. They were also regularly used by the perfumer as an ingredient to improve her formula. "Are these roses?" If only she could witness how wide his grin had grown as he confirms her answer without wasting a second. (Y/N) was slowly retrieving back the confidence she has lost over the past couple of weeks as they continued this little activity Victor had planned out and to both the survivor's delight, they were actually having a fun time.
"What's so funny?" The postman curiously asks when he noticed that she appeared to be laughing or giggling about something which he has yet to realise. She then takes his hand to write out all the flowers she was able to identify at the beginning. There were roses, carnations, lilies and tulips. "Is a confession?" In a blink of an eye, his face went bright red from the fact that he had been exposed in less than a minute. Of course he had hoped she would soon forget about the first few flowers which he had unintentionally brought her to but her memories were incredibly sharp and it was impossible to lie his way out.
"I-I- Uhm, you...you d-don't have to accept it now..." He manages to stutter his words out, pushing aside how incredibly nervous he was feeling. As much as (Y/N) wanted to jump at the opportunity to accept his love right now, she holds back herself. Reminding how many hardships he may need to go through if they would ever return back to the outside world. There were far better options for him to choose from as well. "I don't think I will be able to provide you with the happiness you deserve...You don't have to stick with your first choice." The postman's eyes then widened in shock at her answer, they were doing so well previously. Has his confession caused her mood to change so quickly? Luckily, his mind was in a calm state where he was able to absorb her words properly.
"Please do not mistake my love for you as guilt or pity...I really like you for the person you are, (Y/N). Your words are always genuine and they are very tender...When I feel down you're always there to make me feel better and I wish to make you happy too because I love to see you smile." With the courage he has gathered, both of his hands reach out to hold onto hers as he did his best to prevent himself from stumbling over his words. It was embarrassing but he wanted to get his message across her.
(Y/N)'s eyes widened as a heavy blush spread across her cheeks. She had never expected of the day where the postman would actually voice out his confession to her directly and because of his sudden words and to add on, he was usually very shy if he made any sort of physical contact with the opposite gender especially when it came to her so for Victor to initiate the first move was very unexpected, causing her heart to thump so loudly as her head lowers to hide the blush which was worsening as each seconds ticked by. "(Y-Y/N)?" The postman worriedly spoke out as he tried to get a clear view of her face.
The florist had never thought that she would end up in a scenario where she would become incredibly flustered since Victor was the one who would end up as the person who would shy away from her teasings but this time it was the complete opposite except his confessions was so pure and genuine which she couldn't help but desperately felt the need to dig a hole big enough to hide her face inside in but she couldn't use her hands due to the fact that Victor was holding them.
'A-Ah!! I don't want him to see my face!! Wh-What do I do? Pulling off my hands would hurt him and I don't want that to happen...H-He's not fine with...Ah whatever!' Without sparing another thought, she buries her face deep into his chest in panic which causes the postman's face to flare up and his entire body to tense. This was the closest contact he has ever had and in all honesty, he wou;dn't mind getting used to it. Of course this was not the right timing to voice his opinions out since it would only lead to a bigger mess.
Once the two of them were recovered, Victor then removed his hands from hers to allow the florist to communicate through hand signs but her head was still lowered and her hands were trembling slightly. "Are you really fine with me? Even when I cannot speak or see?" Victor then takes a deep breath to collect himself before giving a reply which he hopes to convince the florist that he was truly fine with her ending up as his partner. "I-I told you didn't I? I love you for the person who you are. It doesn't matter to me what condition you are in. Your disabilities will never stop me from loving you."
It was all too much for her heart to handle. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she tried to control her emotions which were slowly seeping through the outside. (Y/N) had never thought of a future where she would be able to end up with someone who would accept her despite her defects, for the longest time. Most people would tend to pity her as they believed that she was going to live a difficult life on her own when she was older and even her own parents had given up on trying to look for a partner who could accept her. And now, Victor was here. He loved her for a very simple reason and that alone was enough to make her happy to the point where she would cry. "Thank you so much. I love you too, Victor."
~ Bonus ~
While the two survivors were occupied with their interactions with each other and were under the assumption that Wick was the only living being to witness their confession for each other. The door was left ajar which allowed two pairs of eyes to see what was going on. 'Good for him...' The gravekeeper stares in awe with a small smile on his face as he was happy that his friend was able to find someone who loves him equally back while the prisoner on the other hand softly snickers to himself, mumbling "Dorks" under his breath which results in Luca receiving a slap to the back of his head from Andrew.
Both Victor and (Y/N) jolt in surprise when they heard a loud yelp coming from the door. The poor male survivor was going to have a hard time later on since Luca of all people had caught him red handed. The female survivor gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder as she knew that she was going to suffer the same fate from Victor but she was completely fine with it since she was going to end up telling Luca about this confession one way or another but for him to witness it in person was pretty...awkward. Andrew deeply regrets for letting Luca tailing behind them in secret and made a mental note to apologise to the new couple later on.
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AAhhh the story sounded way better in my head but I'm not sure if I manage to write it out well ;;; I hope you guys are ready for a bigger mess written with zero brain cells haha- Up next we have WuWu