otp

00:00 ; tobi-q

; cinderella au

cinderella was my favourite childhood fairytale. it has always been. i loved how the prince could find cinderella even though she left at midnight, leaving only a shoe behind.

i originally died in a car crash. however, the good fairy gave me another day to live to finish my final wish. to attend the royal ball hosted by the royal family. i probably thought i could have a chance of seeing the prince, have a last fling, you know?

and so here i was. dressed in a turquoise ballgown, diamonds in my hair, and heels on my feet. i was with him, the prince, kageyama. just like cinderella, i fell in love with the prince, and the prince returned my feelings.

we were walking in the garden, under the moonlight. it was a full moon, and it seemed to make everything glow under its light.

i didn't want to tell him about her time limit, that i would disappear at 12 am, like cinderella.

actually, scratch that. not like cinderella. cinderella got her happily ever after, but i know i won't be getting mine.

i checked the timer imprinted in my skin from the good fairy. two hours left.

we stopped near a rose bush and i gave his warm hand a gentle squeeze. his hands were much larger than mine, and his fingers were long and slender.

he glanced down at me, his dark blue orbs concentrating on my dark brown ones. he was much taller than me, and his figure was towering over mine.

"what's wrong?" he asked, not letting go of my hand but rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

i shook my head with a smile, "it's nothing."

his eyebrows furrowed and his lips curled into a frown.

"no, it's not," he said, a little sternly yet gently, "please. tell me."

i took a breath.

"would you believe it if i said i would be gone in two hours?" i asked.

"you won't," kageyama said, "you'll still be here, alive and well."

suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"does this have to do with why you're..." he left his words hanging.

i breathed out a sigh.

"tobio, you can choose whether you want to believe it or not," i said, looking at the rose bush, as though interested in it, "but let me say this: i'll be gone in two hours."

he grabbed my hand tighter, which caused me to look at him.

"then let's make the most of it," was his response.

x

time came and went sooner than i thought. we were having so much fun dancing, walking, talking, and enjoying each other's presence. it careened from a minute to the next, until it turned into an unending colossal thing. it was like a black hole, where time stops and slows down.

we were out on the balcony, and i swept my wrist up to check my timer.

seven minutes.

"how much time is left?" kageyama whispered, throwing a side glance at me.

"seven minutes," i answered, letting my hand drop to my side.

he let out a low hum and looked up at the sky. i did the same. stars were glittering in the sky, as though the night would never end. as though the night was infinite.

"when you said you'd be gone," kageyama began, breaking the silence between us, "do you mean you'll be leaving the ball?"

"i guess," i answered.

"so it is?" he asked, glancing down at me, hope laced in his voice.

"let's not get your hopes up," i said, giving a slight chuckle.

i checked my timer. three minutes left.

"before you go," he said, turning to face me, "i just wanted to say how much i enjoyed myself with you tonight. it... it was the best night of my life, and so thank you."

"same with me," i said, "thank you."

he took a step forward.

"do you think we would see each other again?" he asked, engulfing my hands with his larger ones.

"i... i don't think so," i whispered quietly, averting my gaze.

"never mind about the future," he said, using a hand to raise my head up, "never mind about the past. what matters most is here and now."

twenty seconds left.

he closed his eyes slowly as he moved his head forward, closing the gap between us just as the clock struck twelve.

he pulled away, and his eyes widened.

"you're... you're..." he stammered.

i looked down at my hands. i was beginning to turn paler and paler by the second.

"tobio, before i go," i said, my voice becoming more muffled, "i want to say i love you."

tears began cascading down his face as he said, "i... i love you too."

just like cinderella, i left when the clock struck twelve.

however, unlike cinderella, i didn't leave anything behind.

word count ; 807
date published ; 220617