#shatteredflower

"I tried, really! But whenever I try, she just keeps shutting me out!" Daniel complained.

"Hm. Have you perhaps thought about it as Luna trying to protect Mikael?" Jonothan purred. "Or maybe it's just how Luna is. As I experienced with Gui- er, motherly people, they typically have a reason per why they're doing as such. Take culture, for example."

"I mean, yeah, that makes sense..." He said with a sigh. "I'm probably just overthinking it."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Jonothan said, grooming his paw. "You'll be able to work it all out tomorrow. Let's let 'em rest first."

"Oh, Jonothan." Daniel said, slightly melancholy.

"You seem paler than Phil righ' now! Now, you put that book down and tell me whats goin' on."

Daniel sighed again, putting the book away and looking down at Jonathan. "It's just- Well, you know those new kids?"

Jonothan nodded. "'Course I know 'em, I guided 'em here! Why, what is it about 'em?"

He blushed a little as he thought back on what had happened a few hours ago. "Mikael and I..." He sighed softly. "You better not tell this to anyone else, got it?"

"They won't get a word out of me."

Then, he looked at Mikael. He looked small compared to the bed, and was almost the same color as the white bed sheets. Daniel planted a small kiss on Mikael's cheek before heading to the door.

"Hey Daniel," Luna said, stopping him right outside the door. "Thanks for being their for Mikael when l couldn't."

"What do you-" Daniel tried saying, but Luna shut the door.

Daniel only stared in confusion, not entirely sure how to process what just happened. Should he try to open it? He looked down at the doorknob for a long while before deciding against it.

He thought back on Luna's words. What she said just now and what she'd said before. He wondered what they meant...

She walked over to Mikael, and pulled the sheets over him. She planted a small kids on his forehead, and went to her own bed. After getting so bored, she started making designs with the shadows.

She did that for a while, until she heard a knock so small, she thought she imagined it. Not wanting to accidentally wake Mikael, who was a very light sleeper, she went over and opened the door to see Daniel.

"Hullo?" She asked. "What do you need at this hour?"

Daniel froze for a moment, not expecting Luna to be there. "Oh- Um, just wanted to see if Mikael was still awake..." He leaned over to the side to subtly check inside the room.

"He's sleeping." Luna said, before Daniel could check.

"Hey, what you reading?" Luna asked. Mikael peeked over Issar's sleeping body, seeing Luna hadn't fell back asleep.

"At dræbe en sangfugl." Mikael said coldy.

"Sangfugl. That's a form of spottefugl, right? Danish for mockingbird?" Luna asked. For someone so far away, she sure knows her languages.

"Aye." After that, Mikael put the book down, deciding to try and go to bed after all.

This just made Luna more concerned.

Back downstairs, Daniel was poking his food with his fork, not particularly hungry. His mind kept drifting to Mikael and what he may be doing.

"Not hungry?" Guinevere asked, taking a bite of her meal.

Daniel shook his head. "Just... distracted." He mumbled.

"You thinking about those new kids?" Iris asked from across the table.

Daniel's face turned a little red so he sipped his drink to cover it. "Um.. Yeah, sure."

She narrowed her eyes and smiled knowingly, but only shrugged. Guinevere however looked a little concerned. Mostly because he'd barely taken a bite out of his meal, when he was usually one of the first to finish.

"Do you feel sick at all?"

"Oh, sorry Mikael," Daniel started. "I need to go eat. Philip gets mad if we don't come on time."

Michael nodded understandingly. He pulled Daniel in for a quick peck before going upstairs with a book. Daniel turned red again, wondering how he was going to hide this at dinner.

Meanwhile, when Mikael got back to the room, Luna was waiting for him. Michael hummed, wondering why she was awake.

"Well, just making sure you were OK. I'm glad you finally found someone you trust." Luna said, smiling.

This hurt Mikael more than he thought it would. He trusted Luna with his life, that's why he made it through his loop collapsing. However, he just nodded, looking to the floor. He went over to his bed, and started reading.

Phillip helped Guinevere set out some plates and looked around to make sure everyone was seated.

"Alright, everyone here?" He quickly counted heads and smiled when he was sure no one was missing. "Perfect! Since Ms. Sparrow hasn't returned yet, we'll just carry out the rest of the evening as usual."

"Ms. Flamingo has offered to reset the loop for us if Ms. Sparrow doesn't return in time, so no one needs to worry about that, alright?" Guinevere reassured, taking a seat between Phillip and Daniel. "Alright, you can all start!"

Daniel ran up the steps 2 at a time. Once he reached the library doors, he slowed to a stop. He opened the doors, heading inside.

"Mikael?" Daniel called. He heard the ladder jolt, followed by an 'Oof!'

Daniel ran over to find Mikael on the ground, surrounded by various books. He got up from the ground, dusting himself off. That's when Daniel saw the heavy scarring from under Mikael's thick curls.

"Mikael. . . I-" Daniel started to say, not knowing how else to approach this. Instead, he reached out to pull Mikael towards him. Daniel kissed him fondly, letting all of the tension go.

Mikael kissed him back, smiling for the first time in forever.

Daniel parted away from the kiss, a little shocked by what he'd done, but definitely not regretful. He looked down at Mikael, not bothering to try and hide the blush on his face.

"Oh my God..." Daniel whispered softly. The two were quiet for a moment before Daniel started laughing softly. He glanced over at Mikael, who seemed a little nervous at Daniel's reaction.