#penigni

My first (and hopefully not the last) fanart for Lies of P!

send me three words + a character or pairing and i'll write you a little scene

The hotel is quiet, these days.

Even outside of its ornate doors, the city of Krat feels still, as if the murderous puppets and monsters have decided to leave the final few inhabitants be and have either wandered off in search of new prey or curled up somewhere to die.

All is calm, all is still, yet Pinocchio can't figure out how to be so himself. Perhaps because he never has been before. Perhaps because he's a thing of motion, created for blood and bile and battle. Others can see the potential on the horizon, for growth and change, but Pinocchio feels stagnant. Stuck.

Every day he walks the perimeter of the hotel to be sure there's nothing lurking, lying in wait. Every week he goes out to find supplies to bring back for those who need food and fresh water. Every hour he wonders what will happen when there's no more use for him. When Eugenie and Hugo move on to bigger and better things. When even Venigni gives up on this place. When he's left alone with Polendina, haunting the halls of what was once a sanctuary, like a discarded thing that's outlived its purpose.

"You are very far away," Venigni says, his deft fingers winding into Pinocchio's hair. "Where have you gone, hm?"

Pinocchio blinks and refocuses. "Nowhere," he says. He's in bed with Venigni, both of them bare to the waist, his forehead pressed to the warm expanse of Venigni's chest. "I'm right here."

"Half true, yes. Your mind was on a wander though, I think. Is something bothering you?"

The truth sticks like a lump in his throat. He doesn't want to seem ungrateful is the thing. Considering he was never supposed to survive past his father's—Geppetto's—use for him, the time he's had since is like a gift. Venigni himself has been a gift, and his care and affection have been more than Pinocchio could have ever known to ask for. But he supposes it's always been temporary.