Cruella Oneshots (GXG)

The Captive III

"What?" I asked in disbelief, feeling extremely guilty when noticing a single tear falling down her left eye. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Cruella released her hands from my shirt as more tears rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away, probably fighting the urge to cry in front of me. She was not looking me in the eyes anymore, now staring at the old sewing machine in front of her instead. She seemed numb.

"My mom used to work for the Baroness, and asked her for a small financial help on our way to London. We needed something to start." She explained calmly, despite her shaken voice. "The Baroness, instead of helping, ordered her dogs to push my mom off a cliff while they were still talking. She killed her."

"I... I don't know what to say." I replied, still digesting what she just told me. "I'm sorry."

My mind was clouded with questions. Ever since the Baroness hired me, her number one goal was to make me hate Cruella and her "gang" as much as she hated them. She described them as reckless, heartless vandals who did not care about others. She even cried to me once, claiming that all this trouble was making her extremely depressed. Although I was aware that she was also bad news and had a reputation, I still believed her. I truly thought I was going after terrible human beings. Funny how a week can change someone's entire perspective.

I should hate the people who kidnapped me and took away my freedom. They handcuff me to beds and tie me up to uncomfortable chairs, after all. This should be the worst experience of my entire life. However, I have been heavenly awarded with the nicest kidnappers ever: Jasper borrows me his clothes and brings me some good Italian food for dinner, Horace invites me to watch TV with him whenever the Spurs are playing a match (He can never know I'm a Liverpool fan), and Artie even shows me his new designs! Perhaps Stockholm Syndrome is indeed real, but I was never truly concerned for my safety and well-being throughout this week.

Cruella, however, is the most complex enigma I have ever faced. A beautiful, mysterious puzzle. There are times I believe I will never be able to fully understand her. She threatens to kill me, then proceeds to worry if my handcuffs are too tight. She yells horrible things at my face, but was the one who made Jasper buy an air mattress for me in the middle of the night. The true definition of "all barks and no bite", I must say. I know she will never hurt me.

"Well, you got your answer." She said weakly. Still no eye contact. "I bet you can't wait to escape here and go tell everything to your insignificant, pathetic boss."

"I was just teasing you, we've been provoking each other like this for the whole week." I said. "I wouldn't have pushed you this far if I knew it was such a sensitive topic."

"Oh, please." She laughed sarcastically, finally turning to look at me. "What? So you care about me now?"

Our eyes were locked together, the hypnotic green in her pupils making everything else in the room suddenly not matter anymore. Her voice was filled with disdain and carelessness, but her face expressions showed how much she wanted an honest opinion from me. She looked so vulnerable, fragile almost.

This would be the perfect time for running away. I wasn't tied to anything, Horace and Jasper were not around, Cruella was emotionally exposed. I could run as fast as I could, and I don't think she'd try to stop me. I would be finally free, after being kidnapped for almost 170 hours. But I stayed. I didn't leave her side because, in the end, the painful truth is that:

"I care."

hello there! once again, i apologize for making you wait this long for another part. how did you like it? i thought it would be nice to see some of Y/N's perspective too. i'm already working on the fourth (and last) part of this story, so it will probably be out soon! thank you so much for your patience and i hope you enjoy it! M

fun fact: i'm actually a liverpool fan too. let's go reds!