TALES ♡ twisted wonderland

LOVER

ROOK HUNT ━━━━ "i love you" 

angst, heartbreak, gender neutral, lowercase intended

you and rook were an almost unlikely pair, your friends and everyone who knew the two of you seemed shocked when you started dating. you were just so different, they'd say. but you'd argue, in your eyes, between the two of you, you were actually quite alike. your friends didn't know what you meant, and you never explained, even when they asked, so they learned to just let it go.

while everyone thought you guys to be very different, it wasn't unnoticeable how you and rook cared for each other. while rook was known to be extravagant in his person, you weren't, but nonetheless, neither of you were shy of showing the other how much you cared. and that also meant showing the rest of nrc in the process.

you loved him, it showed.

rook remembers the first time you told him you loved him; it wasn't when you confessed to him, and it wasn't on any of your dates. but he still remembered the scene of it all down to the smallest details. he remembered, because it left him hurt. he remembered because of the choice you made after.

rook realizes more than anyone, that falling in love with the prefect not from his world was probably a bad idea, but it's not like he could very well control his feelings. and it certainly wasn't an option to ignore his newfound crush on you, when you approached him and confessed your feelings.

but despite how much it hurt, if asked, rook would never say he regrets loving you, even when your choice in the end was made clearly.

it was common for you two to meet up after class when rook wasn't busy with science club or vice housewarden duties. usually, you'd sit silently studying or completing schoolwork, happy to just be in the presence of your boyfriend. sometimes you two did talk, and rook always did his best to make you smile.

and it wasn't any different at the time; you were silent as you focused on studying for an upcoming test. (which, looking back at it, was useless as you didn't stay long enough to take it.)

"ortho found me a way home."

he's happy you weren't paying attention to him, focused on the study material in front of you. because then you would've noticed the way he frowned and tensed for just a moment. he forgot, so distracted by the euphoria of having you as his that it slipped his mind that twisted wonderland was not your home. (how careless.)

you finally turned to look at him, and he smiled, feeling his bones begin to ache at the thought of you leaving. he couldn't bring himself to celebrate for you, even though he wanted to, he wanted to support you. he knew how much you missed your home; he's been at the end of your moments when the homesickness became too much, and you needed someone to lean on. he wanted you to be happy. (were you not you happy with him? ── no, you were, but not enough to stay.)

you reached over, taking his hand into yours and lacing your fingers together, looking distraught ── about leaving, he thinks (so stay). you held his hand close, and finally sighed as you placed a kiss to his knuckles, "i love you, rook."

rook should've been overjoyed knowing you loved him too. but under the circumstances, he couldn't find it in himself to celebrate. because he knew what you meant, the underlining of your first i love you.

"i love you, rook." but not enough to stay.

but perhaps it didn't matter how much you loved him; you would've never chosen him first. not over your home.