Shattered Fragments (Gladis and Zombie_In_A_Box) 18+

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Zombie_In_A_Box's character:

 

 

 

Name: Louis Cardin

Age: 23

Personality: Outside, he always appears cheerful, while inside he carries great doubts about himself. He always thinks he's worse than he is; honestly, he hates who he is. A part of him believes that pain caused to himself makes him better somehow - that explains the many tattoos and piercings, some of the tattoos ruined with self-inflicted scars. He's quite a messed up man, but he always tries to help others - he would probably sacrifice his own life to save someone else.

 

Dream World:

 

 

 

---

The world was full of colors, but everything mixed still created black. Everything was black in the end. Everything was bad, everything was worthless, and yet... Everything was still better than him. To think that the guy currently locked inside his bathroom with a razor blade pressed against his thigh, slowly making one cut after another while not even attempting to hold back the tears, that this guy was smiling and laughing, joking around with his friends less than half an hour ago. Blood was dripping down onto the floor slowly, each time sounding as if a bomb exploded.

 

He was good at faking. He could fake a smile, he could fake a laugh, he could fake being completely alright. He couldn't lie to himself, though. When he was alone, everything he'd bottled up inside during the day would come up to the surface. Louis always felt as if he had to let some pressure off by making wounds, by letting the blood flow freely. He was a messed up man, and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

He didn't eat anything. He couldn't manage to get anything into his mouth other than some water before going to bed. Honestly, he barely got himself to bandage up the cuts before slipping into his worn off pijamas. The smallest of smiles bloomed on his face, making all of his features gentler as he reached out to pet his dog - this was probably the main reason he was still alive. This dog was what helped him find a reason to not make a cut deep enough to bleed to death.

 

Dropping an arm around the animal, Louis closed his eyes, feeling cold air hit his back as he drifted off. Far away, into deep, deep slumber, where he liked it most. This time, his dream felt weird. The moment he fell asleep, he felt as if he was awake... But not quite. He was in full control of his actions. The blond looked around, shivers running down his spine from some cold sensation. It wasn't really cold there, but it felt as if someone was there. Or something, perhaps it was something. He didn't know.

[Gladis]

Real World

 

Name:

Christian Wilkes

 

Age:

19

 

Gender:

Male

 

Sexuality:

Homosexual

 

Trauma:

☠ Has suffered through Severe Bullying due to being gay.

☠ His younger sister passed away about a year ago.

☠ His boyfriend broke up with him at a critical time.

 

Background:

☠ He was born into a normal middle class family.

☠ The bullying already started in kindergarten. Although it wasn't because of his sexuality back then, it was because he was somewhat of a problem child and thus an easy target.

☠ When he was ten, a little baby girl was added to the family.

☠ Both his parents worked hard to sustain the family. As such, he usually had to look out for his younger sister. The two of them were very close.

☠ Unfortunately, Lucy; as the younger sister was named, passed away in an accident.

☠ Chris hasn't quite been himself since that happened.

☠ A few months later, he tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. His suicide attempt failed, but he ended up in coma. Chris has remained like that for almost eight months now and he still doesn't show any signs of waking up any time soon.

More Pictures

 

 

 

 

Dream World

 

Name:

Sir Christian Lionheart

 

Age:

Unknown

 

Gender:

Male

 

Background:

⚜ Sir Christian was born royalty.

⚜ He is the princesses loyal servant and brother.

⚜ Across the kingdom he's known as 'Shadow Bane' and 'Nightmare Hunter'.

⚜ It is said that he once defeated a three headed dragon single handedly.

⚜ Sir Mortimer, also known as the 'shadow knight' is his mortal enemy.

⚜ It was him who banished the traitor (once his best friend) from the kingdom.

 

Personality

⚜ Christian usually comes off as rather cheerful and bright.

⚜ Although he can have moments where be shows a just slightly more devious side.

⚜ As his relationship with the princess proves, he's loyal and caring.

⚜ He is slightly fussy about his hair.

⚜ And cats are his favorite animals.

⚜ Christian loves tea.

⚜ He'll get serious when the situation calls for it.

⚜ And there is way more to him than he shows.

 

More Pictures

 

 

 

 

[Gladis]

All-encompassing darkness – That’s usually the scene you’ll first stumble across when you enter the dream world. It feels almost as though a dark velvet cloak has been wound tightly around you, as though you stand upon nothing, gazing at nothing; seeing, hearing and feeling nothing. Then, slowly, a world will start materializing around you. Millions of fragments which seemingly appeared out of nowhere gather; painting the world around you in vivid colors. Next your hearing and sense of smell will return. Pleasant scents fill your nostrils, calming sounds your ears. You’ll know you’ve completely awakened by the time you feel the warm breeze gently caress your skin as it passes you by.

 

Welcome to the world of dreams, dear visitor. Here, everything is possible… and your only enemy is really yourself.

 

 

 

Christian was walking along the beach quite contently, one gloved hand comfortably resting on the hilt of his sword and the other hanging loosely by his side. As it was most days, the weather was quite good — although clouds in shades of white, pink, yellow and baby blue were painting the sky. Due to this surreal color combination and the way the light fell, it was almost impossible to tell what time of the day it was — even if it was clear that it was day. It was the kind of sky you really could only expect to find in a dream.

 

The sound of crashing waves and a few crying seagulls in the distance buzzed in the air, bringing a peaceful smile to Christian’s lips. He loved taking walks along the beach; especially on lovely days such as this. The mild scent of salt water was refreshing and somehow made him feel fitter than he ought to be this early in the morning.

 

Focus. Right, he had to focus. Sent on a patrol to investigate the ”intruder” that had been spotted by the guards not too terribly long ago, Christian had no time to slack off.

 

”He should be somewhere around here, shouldn’t he?” the one Christian was addressing was the black cat walking a slight distance behind him, leaving small footprints in the sand. The blonde youth glanced around wearily, squinting his eyes in an attempt to spot said intruder.

 

”According to the guards, yes… but you never know if those idiots didn’t just mess up the records. And that’s why one shouldn’t trust mice. They’re food, for gods sake,” as usual the cat sounded quite grumpy. It wasn’t exactly anything new to Christian. He had long since gotten used to the animals attitude.

 

”Hmm…” Christian paused. There it was. The form of a man laying in the sand — close enough to the water that he risked getting his hair wet eventually. Without hesitation the young man headed over to the seemingly unconscious man at a quick pace. ”Hello?” he murmured, tilting his head to the side as he crouched down by the mans side. He was quite handsome, if Christian was allowed to say so himself. ”Uhm… I suggest you get up, good sir…”

 

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis ended up wandering around the weird world for what seemed like the eternity, though at the same time, it was merely a few moments. That was how dreams were, he guessed. The blond realized after a while of walking that he was wearing a suit - tie, shirt, vest and all. The man didn't feel uncomfortable with that sort of clothing, however, it didn't feel much different from his usual shirt and jeans; it was comfortable and soft.

 

After some time, Louis reached a gorgeous beach, the clouds colored in all shades of pink, blue, golden, white... He liked it here. The blond let out a quiet sigh as he sat down on the soft sand, for a while just staring at the waves. He didn't usually have dreams like this. The ones he most often had were nightmares, repetitive, horrible nightmares. His best friend was accusing him of his death again, his mother was staring down at him in disgust, the whole world was spinning around him as he sat surrounded in darkness.

 

This was so much better. Louis slowly layed down, taking in a deep breath, smelling the salt, feeling the nicely soothing wind on his cheeks. He liked it here... He liked being able to find a peaceful place, at least in his dreams. The man felt as if he was being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves hitting the shore when someone's voice woke him out of his calmness.

 

"Who're you?" Louis asked as he sat up slowly, staring at the blond in front of him. Lightly tilting his head to one side, the older male tried to remember if he'd ever seen this guy. After all, it was said that you only see the people you've seen in real life in your dreams. Perhaps this was some passenger.

 

"I don't see the point of getting up, either way." Louis smiled slightly and patted the sand next to him. "You should join me instead. It's very soothing to listen to the waves..." The blond let out a soft, relaxed sigh as he closed his eyes, holding himself up with his arms behind his back.

[Gladis]

Though Christian’s green orbs reflected a sense of curiosity, his eyebrows were knitted into a slight frown as he listened to the newcomer speak. His long, braided hair had curled up on the sand surface, though Christian payed it no mind. Even if sand should get stuck in it, it usually didn’t. Such were the rules of the dream world — once you knew how to bend them to you're liking.

 

”So it is,” he agreed reluctantly, his lips beginning to for a slight pout. Even if he would have liked to lay down in the sand and listen to the sound of the waves as the stranger suggested, things weren’t really quite that simple. His princess wasn’t the most patient of individuals and she had demanded we bring this ’intruder’ to the throne room as soon as possible.

 

”Judging by his attire, I’d say he’s a dreamer who’s ended up in the wrong domain,” the black cat had seated himself next to Christian, licking his paws as he pretended not to care about the newcomer in the least.

 

The cat’s words caused Christian’s frown to deepen. While he had the feeling he should know what it meant, he couldn’t quite recall what it was. Pushing those thoughts aside, Christian gave a slight shake of his head. ”The princess has requested an audience with the newcomer,” Christian refrained from saying ’intruder’, ”you, that is. If it isn’t too much to ask, would you mind accompanying us to the castle?”

 

Then he realized something, almost looking a little horrified before he let his expression turn into a pleasant smile. "Oh right. Forgive my rudeness. I'm Sir Christian Lionheart, captain of the royal guard. Who may you be?"

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis felt a smile stretching out across his face at the pout forming on the other's face. God, this guy was a cutie... However, when the cat spoke, the blond's eyes widened the slightest bit. "Ah?" He tilted his head to one side before reaching out, gently scratching the animal behind its chin. "You remind me of Betty..." The man muttered to himself somewhat sadly - Betty was his cat when he was little. Sadly, his mother hit it with a car. He was almost certain that was on purpose, but... He had no proof, other that the woman hated him.

 

"Oh, princess?" Louis felt honestly confused now. Standing up, he brushed off a few grains of sand from his expencive-looking suit and smiled. "I guess I can't really refuse. A princess asked, therefore I must obey." The blond was enjoying this weird dream so far. As long as it didn't get too weird, it was interesting. Although he probably wouldn't remember any of this when he woke up, at least he could have fun while asleep.

 

"Erm, that's quite the long title... Do you mind if I call you Chris? Or should I settle for Christian?" Louis asked almost carefreely, running a hand through his hair before realizing it felt a little different. It was... Softer. "Ah, the name's Louis. Louis Cardin, if you must know." The man offered the other a soft smile. "Do you happen to have a name as well?" He asked suddenly, while looking at the black cat.

[Gladis]

Unsurprisingly to Christian, the black cat didn't look pleased in the least. Like you'd expect a talking cat to be, he was the kind of person who disliked to be approached by others, preferring to approach them himself. "Hey hey, keep your hands to yourself, human," he hissed, gazing at Louis with narrowed eyes as he flicked his tail irritably, "I am a proud advisor of the princess; Not your ordinary alley cat," as though he wished to demonstrate this, the black cat proudly pushed out its chest and held his head high. It looked quite comical, despite his efforts to seem important.

 

"Don't let his attitude bother you," Christian chuckled, "Luca tends to be like that, but really he appreciates the attention."

 

"Appreciates. Tch," now the glare was directed at the young blond, "I'll leave a beheaded mouse by your bedside to show my appreciation," this thought seemed to amuse the cat, flipping his mood around once more. "Come on, we haven't got all day," Luca prompted as he got up and started padding away.

 

As Louis got up, Christ did the same. "You're more than welcome to call me Chris... it's how my friends tend to address me," he said as he extended a hand towards Louis. "It's a pleasure making your acquaintance, mr. Louis."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis covered his mouth with his hand as he chuckled, honestly finding the cat cute. "Alright, do forgive me then." He said with a light smile, brushing the hair out of his eyes. The blond watched their exchange with a smile, nodding slightly at Christian. "I'd actually appreciate a beheaded mouse from you. I always felt like it was a gift of a sort." Louis said honestly, looking around curiously. Gods, even in his dreams he was pretending to be someone he was not.

 

Still, Louis shook the extended hand with a warm smile on his face. After that many years of faking it, it appeared to be natural, no one could tell it wasn't real anymore. "Well then, Chris... What is this place?" Louis asked as he began following the cat. For the first few minutes of walking, he felt fine, but... His darkness never really left him. He could feel blood trickling down his thighs from the newest cuts, yet he was so used to hiding his pain, he didn't show it in any way. He kept his smile on, observing the beautiful blond next to him. He knew he was gay, but damn... This guy was just amazing. Guys like him made him feel like he was becoming double the gay he already was. If this was a dream, he could do what he wanted, right?..

 

Did that mean he could enjoy a dream for once?

[Gladis]

Christian chuckled softly, his green eyes glinting with amusement. "I suppose that's one way to look at it," he agreed, politely accepting Louis handshake. It was strange. How his heart would almost skip a beat at the mare touch. He'd never really experienced anything like it before. Or had he? For just a split second, a shadow seemed to flit across the youth's features. As unpleasant memories slowly began to surface, the world around them seemed like it slowly began to disort into something dark and twisted. Yet just as quickly as it had started, it ended a a second later, returning to the state of beauty and tranquility. Christian smiled. No, he decided, he'd never felt that way before. There weren't a lot of men in this kingdom – at least not humanoid ones... and among the few who were, none was quite as handsome as this fellow.

 

Pushing out his lips in a slight pout, he finished his reasoning about the dead mouse, "but mice corpses are such a mess to clean up. No matter how well the cat meant by placing it at your feet."

 

"We're currently by the cerulean sea," Christian explained, pointing towards the water behind them as he walked alongside Louis, seeming unexplainably happy. It was clear that he felt rather excited about coming across such a handsome visitor, "and we're headed towards the princesses castle. Don't worry, it's not a long walk," Christian assured.

 

 

The cat lead the two of them along a stone pavement which eventually brought them into a forest. Looking as though it had been taken straight out of a fairy tale, everything was a beautiful, vibrant shade of green; with a few other bright colors scattered across it. Golden rays of sunshine were raining through the canopy of leaves and branches hanging over the paved path like a roof, illuminating the world beneath it in a warm,almost fantastical glow. Here and there small, glowing, figures with wings sprouting from their backs were floating, whispering to each other excitedly among each other as they observed the newcomer.

 

Christian also found himself stealing glances in Louis direction from time to time, hoping the older male wouldn't notice. Obviously he didn't want to appear rude but... he didn't want to stop looking either.

 

Eventually they reached a huge clearing – although really it looked more like a garden than an actual clearing. With bushes of different flowers neatly decorating the perfectly mowed lawn and trees in beautiful shades of green, orange and pink decorating the sides of the clearing, it too looked like taken straight from a fairy tale. On one side of the path there was a river with sparkling crystal clear water – on the other there were more colorful bushes. Lining the path on that side were several lanterns of intricate design.

 

Yet what stood out the most among all that, was the pale castle with blue roof tiles rising several meters into the air ahead of them. Quite honestly, it looked more like something out of a child's dream – than the dream of a youth Christian's age.

 

"Do you like tea?" Christian asked, casting Louis a curious glance.

 

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis merely pretended not to see the few moments a shadow passed over Christian's face. Even if this was just a dream, he felt as if he wasn't supposed to comment on it. Maybe this was some manifection of his subconsciousness? Probably. And still, the blond made sure to give some reassuring touches at least, or at least a small smile from time to time. Even though his legs were killing him, after a while he couldn't feel them. A soft laugh left his mouth at the blond's words, nodding slightly in agreement. "I suppose that's true, but... It's still a nice gesture. It's the thought that counts, no?" Louis said with a smile on his face before looking down at Luca.

 

When he was told it wasn't a long walk, his hand reached to check his thigh. Words couldn't express the confusion he felt when he realized there was no blood. Huh... How weird. He could swear there was blood rolling down just moments ago. Well, no one could really explain dreams, but still.

 

As the scenery changed, Louis also realized that Christian was stealing glances at him. "Honestly, Chris... If you want to look, just look~" The blond laughed softly as he looked at the other, a warm smile on his face. "It's better than glancing at me every fifteen seconds." The man teased with a smile before reaching out to lightly pat his head. He couldn't resist - this guy was simply adorable!

 

"Woah..." Louis' eyes went wide at the enormous castle in front of him, stopping for a few moments to just look at it. It was so huge... "I... Tea? Yeah, I guess I do..." He muttered softly before shaking his head a little bit. An excited smile appeared on his face as he glanced at the other, tilting his chin up slightly. "So, can you tell me about the princess I'm meeting?" He asked with a smile, running a hand through his hair. He was curious, he was honestly curious to find out who this woman was. Or maybe she was a girl? Oh god, a little princess would be so cute...

[Gladis]

"Honestly, Chris... If you want to look, just look~"

 

"T-that's...!!!" feeling his cheeks heat up upon the realization that he'd been discovered, Christian quickly looked away, focusing his gaze on the castle they were approaching. The large gate leading to the courtyard had now come into sight and with it, the two guards on duty. While they did indeed look humanoid – a handsome young man and a girl who seemed to be his female counterpart... both of them had mouse ears and tails. Clad in armor and with swords on their sides, these features still made it difficult to take them completely seriously. They smiled and nodded at the party.

 

"Good afternoon, my lord," said the female guard to Luca, bowing to the cat who just flicked his tail, shook his head and headed inside. While it was possible for him to take human form like the guards, he often preferred the smaller, more natural cat form. Chris had also long since realized that the cat most likely had a small crush on the mouse girl.

 

 

The party soon found themselves in the throne room, gazing up on the little girl seated upon a grandiose looking throne which – mind you, looked way too large in comparison to her proportions. She really was a child – appearing to be no older than perhaps eight or nine, with long golden hair falling down her shoulders. Her mismatched eyes were her most peculiar features, however. One was blue... and the other was a deep shade of red. In her arms, she was holding a large, leather-bound book.

 

"Greetings, mr. newcomer," she said with a smile, "I am most delighted that you chose to grace me with your presence."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis covered his mouth as he laughed softly, enjoying this dream more and more as time passed. Christian was unbelievably cute... The man couldn't resist pulling the other closer for a soft peck on his forehead. "Calm down, I'm just joking around." The man smiled warmly, letting go off his hand a few moments too late. He liked the person his dreams manifested... That can't be a manifection of himself, then. He honestly hated himself. He was struggling a lot with finding anything good in him, there were days he couldn't find even one good thing about himself at all.

 

As they made way inside the castle, Adrian was somewhat glad to see the princess was indeed a small girl. God, this really was something his mind created, no doubt. He was great with children, though he wasn't around them all so often. The blond bowed his head with a smile gracing his features. "Of course. It's a pleasure to be here." He said with a smile before looking back at the blonde. The man smiled, the insides of his wrists, where he'd made his very first cuts many years ago, itching.

[Gladis]

The peck on his forehead... was unexpected, though not exactly unwelcome. Chris had long since gotten used to tons of weird things happening completely out of the blue and sometimes without making much sense. Such were the rules of the dream world. Yet he still found himself blushing just faintly, focusing his eyes anywhere but on the other male. His heart was racing and he was afraid that if he kept staring, it may pop out... however that may work.

 

"Calm down, I'm just joking around."

 

"Oh?" almost feeling a little disappointed at this notion, his lips quirked into a smile as he raised an eyebrow, "I-I see... that's a very strange joke," the blond pointed out, pouting in an attempt to hide how embarrassed he felt.

 

The princess smiled at the newcomer pleasantly, nodding her head at his words before turning to the butler standing beside her throne. He too, was a tall man... but with the head of a goat. "Would you be so kind to prepare the tea table for our honored guest?" she asked, which the goat butler did without complaint. The princess got up, heading down from the throne to take a seat at the table. She gestured for Louis to do the same.

 

"Christian," she said, turning to her brother, "would you please find a servant and ask them to prepare a room for our guest?"

 

Christian smiled and bowed. "Yes, my princess," he said politely before casting Louis a glance that said 'I'll be back soon'. Then he left the throne room to do his task.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis honestly couldn't help but smile at Christian's actions. Since this meeting with a princess was probably important for his brain, he'd just fully enjoy his dream after it. By enjoy, of course, he meant getting closer with Christian. He often had sex with other people in his dreams, just sometimes they ended up like nightmares... This, he hoped, would not.

 

The blond wasn't even surprised to see the animal-like guards. Although he wasn't a big fan of goats, he nodded politely at the butler. The man just followed the princess and sat down at the table, smiling warmly at the girl. "Ah, I'll get a room of my own here?" Louis felt slight surprise coming up. Perhaps this was an indication of this dream repeating in the future? Honestly, he wouldn't mind. The guy was incredibly cute, but he was curious to see how his further plans worked out.

 

Louis watched Christian leave, shooting him a soft smile as well. Afterwards, he turned back to the princess, lightly rubbing the inside of his wrist. "So, erm... This is a dream, right?" He chuckled, lightly shaking his head. Usually when people acknowledged the dream being a dream, they woke up. This was different, he liked it!

[Gladis]

"So, erm... This is a dream, right?"

 

"Correct," the child replied, keeping her mismatched eyes trained on the intruder. The smile she'd been offering him so heartedly earlier faded, the tone of her voice as serious as her expression. While she did indeed physically looked like a child, the way she held herself was all but childish. Yet her voice was still gentle and soft. "When we dream, our consciousness travels to what we like to refer to as 'personal domains' or 'dream fragments'. While the science of it is too complex to explain in this conversations – these fragments pose as platforms of your dreams. Formed and shaped by your subconscious, human beings tend to remember only bits and pieces of it once they wake up – if anything at all. Rare as it may be, misdirection sometimes occur. In other words, for whatever reason instead of going to your own fragment as usual... you have entered the dream fragment of somebody else," pausing for effect, the girl dropped her gaze to the book on her lap as she slowly traced her fingers across the intricate, leather-bound surface.

 

"You are by all means an intruder," lifting her gaze, the child stared at him silently for quite some time. Then a gentle smile crossed her features. "But you seem to make my brother happy so as for now, there will be no charges against you. As long as you behave, you're free to come and go as you like," she said softly. Despite smiling and speaking with a relatively friendly voice, there was an underlying threat in her voice. "Christian doesn't know he's dreaming. We would prefer to keep it that way. As long as he's here, there's no pain..."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis felt the mood get tense the moment the princess' smile disappeared. He felt chills down his spine, especially since her voice didn't change at all. The blond listened quietly, eyebrows furrowed slightly as he tried to understand everything that was said - since it was a lot, he had a bit of a trouble with getting everything from the start. Louis felt honest guilt wash over him as the room appeared to get smaller - or perhaps it was just him - when the girl said he was an intruder. "You do know I didn't come here on purpose, right? Why would you even think of punishing me for something I didn't ever intend to do?" He asked, hands clenching into fists when he felt a small drop of blood trickle down.

 

Honestly, this girl now was giving him the chills, seriously. "He doesn't know he's dreaming? How is that possible? I know I'm dreaming, so how can he-..." Only then did he realize what that last part probably meant. "You mean he's in a coma?" Louis asked with his eyes getting just a little bit wider. That meant he could find this guy somewhere... He was real, not something his mind made up. "What happened to him?" The blond questioned, his eyes still a little bit wider than usually. With the new revalation, he didn't even notice there was no blood on his wrists. In his dreams, it was a very common detail for him to be bleeding from somewhere he used to cut, or had cut not too long ago. It sucked, kind of.

[Gladis]

"Even if it is involuntary intrusion, it is still considered intrusion – and that of the most intimidate sort. Consider yourself to currently be standing in somebody else's head," hoping that this explanation would make him understand the severity of his presence. She didn't sound hostile anymore, exactly, but she still sounded serious as to make a point.

 

The young girl remained quiet for a very long time, keeping her eyes focused on Louis. How was she going to answer his questions? That seemed to be what she was pondering as she dropped her mismatched gaze back down to the book cover, continuing to trace her small finger along the intricate design. Eventually, she looked back up, locking that gaze on the man.

 

"You mean he's in a coma? What happened to him?" "

 

"... Something of the sort, I'd suppose," she replied eventually, drawing a soft sigh before shaking her head slightly, "nevertheless, it doesn't seem like he will be waking up any time soon and as such, we'd like to preserve his happiness. He..." the princess trailed off, her lips pressing together. Then she spoke. "He tried to commit suicide."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis understood it perfectly - well, as well as he could understand it when he was dreaming. "In his head." He repeated with a small frown, lightly scratching the back of his head. "It seems impossible, honestly. But hey, who am I to talk?" The blond sighed out as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair, gently rubbing his forehead. He didn't know dreams could be stressful - though did this still count as a dream?

 

The blond opened his eyes only when the girl said Christian had tried to commit suicide. "So did I." He said simply, his gaze appearing empty for a few moments. "Why can't he know he's dreaming though? I think it would be a lot better that way... I mean, there's gotta be a way for him to wake up if he still has some subconsciousness." The blond tried to explain his thoughts as he leaned closer, staring at the princess with a serious gaze. "He tried to kill himself and he failed. That alone means he wasn't supposed to die yet." Louis said simply and managed a small smile. "If he knows that, won't it be easier for everyone?"

[Gladis]

The little girl's expression became completely serious, a soft sigh escaping her pink little lips as she shut her eyes for a moment. It was almost as though she was beginning to lose patience, though she tried very hard to remain calm. Once she'd assembled her thoughts, she lifted her uneven gaze and looked at Louis very sternly. "He's not dead," she reminded him calmly, "and he's not going to die – but facing reality right now would be too harsh on him. We're not his enemies, and nor do I imagine you are. While you may not care for his end, I and everyone else here does," going silent for a moment, the child let her gaze drop down to her quivering fingers. It looked almost as though she were afraid of something.

 

"Louis was your name, no?" she asked quietly, now looking at him directly as she produced a sad smile, "my brother is not ready to wake up. Please keep that in mind before you proceed with any careless actions. If you forced him to face reality now, it would break him. It would shatter this world he's built up to pieces, destroy all of us and him along with it. It's not a risk any of us is willing to take – and neither should you. So please, please as long as you're here, play along with this illusion. It's the only thing keeping him alive..."

 

"Maybe your arrival in this world was meant to be," she shifted her gaze to his bleeding wrists, grimacing just slightly, "you both seem to have wounds that need to be healed – and solitude is not always the best tool for mending."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis folded his arms in front of his chest with barely any emotion on his face. "I can't say that I don't care for him, but I don't know if I do, either. I have no idea who he is, but I can't want for him to die, right?" A small smile appeared on his face as he sighed out, letting his hands down on his lap.

 

"Yeah, Louis." The blond nodded lightly, looking straight at the girl as well. The man bit down on his lip slightly as he listened, lowering his gaze in what appeared to be something like shame. "Alright, I understand. I still think it's unfair to keep him in the dark forever, but... What I mean is that I'll tell him at some point. Perhaps I can get to know him better and there will be a time where he can handle it." Louis let out a long sigh as he looked up, holding onto his wrist, as if trying to stop the blood gushing out of the cuts. They hurt, sure, but he didn't even mind them anymore.

 

"Why'd he try to kill himself?" He asked absentmindedly, pressing his fingers against what looked like fresh wounds. "Oh, and... Are you his sister just here or does he have one in the real world too?" The blond asked as he looked back at the princess with a serious gaze in his eyes. "I am no healer, but I can try to get him ready to face the truth. It's not like he thinks this is the real world, either way."

[Gladis]

"I'm glad you understand," the child said, smiling at him warmly for the first time in this conversation. She knew she needed to be careful with this peculiar visitor, as he truly had no reason to care for Christian's welfare. She seemed to dislike the fact that his thoughts about this world differed from hers – but she supposed she couldn't blame him. He would need to spend a lot more time in this world before he would be able to understand it's inner workings – and she didn't truly expect for him to ever return. As such, if she could just get him to stay silent about it until he woke up in the morning... everything would be okay.

 

When he started asking questions, she simply smiled down at him secretively. "I'm afraid you'll have to find those things out for yourself... it's not my place to say," she dismissed his questions gently before also turning serious. "I'll warn you again," she said, all the warmth from earlier seeping out of her voice, "be careful. Don't thick too much of all this; consider it a simple dream and enjoy yourself. It'll be most convenient for you, and it will also be most convenient for him."

 

Even if she had wanted to say more, she refrained from doing so. This was mainly due to the fact that only a moment later, Christian reentered the room, glowing brightly as usual. The princess' expression split into a smile as she clasped her hands together.

 

"You wouldn't mind showing our honored guest to his room, would you, brother?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she regarded him with a warm, affectionate look in her mismatched eyes.

 

Christian smiled and swept an elegant bow. "Of course not, your highness," he mused, setting his beautiful green eyes on Louis. "Follow me, I'll show the way."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis let out a soft sigh as the girl told him she wouldn't answer his questions. If she wouldn't answer the things that were most important, he may as well see this as a dream, as he was told later. As long as the answers to these questions were not presented to him clearly, he would make sure to make this dream as enjoyable as he could. The blond nodded slightly at the princess and managed a smile before he heard Christian behind him again.

 

The man flashed him a warm smile as he stood up, stepping closer to Christian. He felt a bit awkward doing anything in front of the girl, so he just gently gripped the other's hand and smiled. "Alright~" The man said with a soft hum as he walked with Christian. The castle seemed to be huge... It just added to the sensation of it being a simple dream.

 

As soon as they were in the room which was meant for him, Louis cupped the other's face gently and pressed their lips together. The kiss was sweet, slow and gentle - nothing to scare the other away. With one hand around the blond's waist, Louis pulled him a little bit closer, smiling into the kiss as he closed his eyes. As a dream, this was fantastic... It was almost funny how quickly he managed to forget about the little princess.

[Gladis]

Chris was a bit taken aback, to say the least. Even if he'd secretly been sneaking glances at the other male – and indeed thought of him as handsome, he'd never expected him to actually... well...kiss him? This may be a world where every sexual orientation was accepted and welcome, a world where he was allowed to act out the person he really was... and yet he'd never really taken advantage of the world in that sense. Christian wasn't innocent. Oh god forbid me to tell you that were the case. Usually only things he expected in one way or another would happen... yet everything about this man was unexpected. He hadn't imagined he would find anyone on the beach earlier that day – and he definitely hadn't imagined that one would be kissing him for whatever reason either.

 

Yet it wasn't exactly an unpleasant surprise, and once Christian got past the first few seconds of confusion, he allowed himself to relax as much as his body would let him; his heart still racing. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle this new situation, though he decided that if this mysterious Louis would entertain him with a kiss, he'd be rude not to return it. So he did exactly that, his lips curling into a slight smile as the faintly familiar of butterflies stirring in his gut spread through the entirety of his slender body.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Louis was getting nervous in the first few seconds when there was no response. Perhaps it would be best if he pulled away?.. However, soon enough he felt Christian kissing back. That was sort of a relief... The brunet deepened the kiss some more, taking a few steps forwards so he could sit down on the bed with the blond on his lap. Placing both of his hands on the other's waist, Louis pressed soft kisses downwards, to the prince's neck. "Your skin is so soft..." He muttered sweetly, gently tracing over it with his lips. The blond lifted one hand up to unbutton his shirt, but stopped.

 

"Do you think you can trust me?" He asked softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw. If this really was a dream, he may as well enjoy it to the fullest - and if that meant having sex with a gorgeous blond prince, so be it. Gently brushing his lips up to the other's ear, Louis began pressing kisses to his earlobe before lightly biting it. He kissed it again, then moved back to his lips, capturing them into yet another sweet, sweet kiss.

[Gladis]

Christian wasn't entirely sure how they had ended up like this, but he didn't exactly dislike it either. He let the other male deepen the kiss, holding on to Louis' shoulders to keep himself steady as he kept returning the kiss surprisingly eagerly. Although he was still confused, saying he didn't enjoy himself would have been a lie. Why? Why he didn't know... but he supposed that in a world where anything was possible, it didn't matter if he enjoyed kissing a complete stranger. This was probably just part of how this world worked, after all. His cheeks were already heavily flushed at that point, so the compliment didn't make much of a visible difference. Yet it did make those butterflies stir a bit further, and perhaps even caused his heart to skip a beat.

 

"Do you think you can trust me?"

 

"You're a complete stranger," Chris pointed out, his voice slightly labored with the building anticipation. It wasn't a complaint or meant to tell him off – just a simple reminder of the fact. Yet judging by his reaction to the kisses, and the gentle nibbling at his earlobe in particular, it was rather obvious that at least with this, Louis could be trusted. He shuddered just slightly in enjoyment, entwining his petite, quivering hand in Louis' jacket as he returned the second kiss quite passionately. Then he pulled back, nuzzling his red face into the crook of Louis' neck. "I think so, though..." he murmured softly.