Y/N

_

WHEN I ARRIVED BACK AT THE COTTAGE, Louis and the others were already indulging in their daily tea party.

I was tired out from the long walk back from the field, so when I saw the three of them lounging around with thier cakes, tarts, and delicatessens, I felt internally offended that they didn't bother to tell me they were back.

But any mild hostility I felt washed away when Louis' eyes locked onto mine, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"Finish the rest," he said half-handedly to the two next to him, "I'll be back."

And before I could take another step, the boy was jumping out of his chair, grabbing me by the wrist, and tugging me back into the forest without an explanation.

And in that present moment, a normal person would think: 'am I being kidnapped?'. 

But no, that was not the case for me at all — instead, I found myself wondering why he decided to grab my wrist instead of my hand. Not only was my hand more comfortable, it would give him the perfect opportunity to hold hands with.... Me.

Yupppppppppp, totally not taking the twin's advice and going for it.

And hey, why not? He's cute, respectful, knows how to make a pot of tea, knows how to dress, and pretty much everything else. Besides, it was only a nip and a bop back home if something went wrong.

It was only a few moments before Louis stopped at the edge of a forest clearing, overlooking a large expanse of Wonderland. I could see the Queen's castle a few miles away, it's horrible red decor sticking out like a sore thumb. If that didn't tell me all I needed to know about the supposed monarch, I don't know what else would.

"Can I?"

I blinked, turning my head towards the boy beside me.

Being so lost in thought, I failed to notice he was asking me a question, and now he was looking at me wistfully for a response.

"Can you what?" I questioned, "sorry, I missed what you asked."

Louis froze for a moment, before letting out an amused chuckle. If anything, he was probably laughing to himself over the constant daydreaming state I was in, and now I looked more irresponsible that I actually am. Which is a lot, but now's not the time to discuss that.

"I asked if I can trust you," he restated, a glint in his eyes.

I nodded. "Yeah, you can."

"Good."

Taking the top hat off his head, he beamed, dropping it on top of mine. It fell over my eyes, and I stumbled back with my new loss of sight. Thankfully he managed to grab both of my hands, gently pulling me back towards him.

"With my hat," he finished, "I asked if I could trust you with my hat."

I was so glad he couldn't see my embarrassed face from behind the leather don. I really need to start paying attention, because I thought he was asking me to trust him with something deep, or secretive, but he was really talking about his top hat.

I'm a disappointment.

"Why have you done this?" I mumbled, still staring into the dark void in covering my eyes, "why can't you carry your own hat?"

Louis chuckled, "I asked you for a reason, [y/n]."

"I wasn't listening."

"I know."

He didn't say anything else after that, but I felt him let go of my hands exactly after. A moment later, I felt his fingers wrap around the bottom of the hat, pushing it up so that I could finally see again— and I came face to face with his familiar hazel eyes.

"Besides," he smirked, lifting his pointer-finger to bop me on the tip of my nose, "it looks cute on you."

I nearly fainted.

But I didn't.

I've embarrassed myself enough already, and I'm not planning on doing it again in the future.

Glancing away bashfully, I adjusted his hat to fit me in a way that didn't leave me temporarily blind. Louis just batted his eyelashes innocently, turning away and walking down a forest trail tucked into the side of the cliff we were on.

He had that effect on people—a lasting effect that made his words, simple words, cling onto you like paper-to-skin, and you just don't know what the hell to do. What the hell to say. And it wasn't like he was doing it on purpose, it was just that he made such simple sentences seem wild with hidden meanings and emotions.

And yes, I'm thinking too much into it, but I wasn't sure if letting myself fall further down this rabbit hole was such a good idea after all.

I just hoped he proved me wrong.

"Are you coming with?" He called out over his shoulder.

"Yes," I said.

"Then why aren't you walking with me?"'

Picking up my pace, I clutched onto the brim of his hat, shuffling after him as fast as I could. He led me through the beaten up path, making remarks about the history of Wonderland and whatnot, occasionally stopping to pick a winniewoggle berry off a bush and pop it into his mouth.

Our conversation soon drifted away from historics, settling back to the one thing I didn't really want to talk about:

"The prophecy," Louis said, ducking under a tree branch, "everyone knows about it."

I blinked, looking away in guilt. "I'm sure they do."

"Especially the Queen."

"Oh."

There was a hint of urgency in the way he said it, his brows furrowing in annoyance. He continued, and I listened sheepishly.

"She became paranoid that you were prophesied to steal her crown and her husband," he noted.

"Her husband?"

"She'll make the crown of hearts her own, and steal the heart of her betrothed," Louis quoted, glancing at me with a surprised expression, "I thought you read the prophecy?"

"I did, I just don't see myself attempting to steal the Queen's husband anytime soon."

"Of course not," Louis deadpanned, "he's dead."

"He's dead?"

"Yes. After finding out about it, the Queen had her husband killed to prevent you from completing the prophecy. Surely you knew this."

"I did not," I noted harshly, "that's terrible."

Louis shrugged, the zipper of his leather jacket hitting his necklace with a soft tack.

"Yeah," he exhaled, a smile on his face, "we were worried that it messed the prophecy up, but then you came, so it's all fine."

Fine.

It wasn't fine.

What if the prophecy really was messed up? I wasn't the girl they expected, and that's all because the King of Hearts was killed to stop fate from happening. Now they expect me to kill the jabberwocky, and dethrone the monarchy, and— what the hell have I gotten myself into?

My own reprimands made me lose track again, and the next thing I knew, his hat had slipped back over my eyes, and I went stumbling forward in panic.

Now was not a good time to be walking on the edge of a cliff.

The wind was knocked out of me when I felt my ankle roll over the side of the ledge, and I went flying down with a scream and a rush of cold air.

It was only till I felt someone's arm wrap around my back, pulling me towards their chest and onto my feet, that I knew I was the biggest idiot there was in the world. But Louis didn't care. He took the hat off my head, putting it back on his as he looked at me in worry.

And then he smiled.

"Careful darling, I don't want to lose you just yet," he smirked.

I clung tighter to him, my eyes still widened in fear. "Just yet?"

"Just now," he nodded. "We need you, prophecy girl, and if you were to leave, it would be your decision alone."

Something flickered in his eyes, and I took that as a sign to loosen my grip on him. Staring at the soles of my shoes, I dusted my shorts off, clearing my throat. I could never seem to be stable around him.

I winced. "I'm not planning on leaving."

Louis cocked a brow, "really?"

"Really."

"Then careful darling," he grinned, repeating his earlier words, "I don't want to lose you."

And the look in his eyes told me he meant it.

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[y/n] is so chaotic I stan

also wth was this chapter, I'm ASHAMED *sinks into the floor*