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"Dear?"
No response.
"Darling?"
No response.
"Doorman?" A heavy sigh falls off your lips as you leave the lobby, bounding up the grand staircase; it was unusually quiet, unusually empty. Which room had he told you to go to again? Seventeen? Thirteen? You couldn't remember, and you certainly couldn't be bothered to go back downstairs and ask the receptionist which room he booked out for you.
… Not to mention you're unsure if you can even go back now.
You knew well that this hotel didn't adhere to this plane's rules. Ever expanding and non-euclidean. Halls that spanned forevermore and rooms personally catered to your each and every need... Yes, that was The Baroness, all thanks to the help of your beloved. You knew your darling was in the middle of "renovating", so perhaps that explained how you had become lost in this labyrinth.
Alas, you didn't worry. You knew he had a door straight back to home for when he found you, this wasn't the first time this had happened after all. It was simply a byproduct of his power, it was prone to accidents and you couldn't blame him for that. Even gods could make mistakes after all, right?
Although even with that said, he was always quick to find you, so this too was an oddity.
The Baroness was almost like a second shell to him. If you listened to the walls close enough you could hear a faint heartbeat and if you pressed your ear to the floorboards you would be met with the distant sound of something breathing.
It was horrifying at first of course, but you had grown used to it. It gave you a sense of comfort while you waited for him to lead you out of this empty pocket dimension. But you couldn't exactly keep your face pressed against the wall while you walked could you?
Unfortunately it simply wasn't possible to search each and every room for him. The rooms swapped and entangled every other minute or so, like a child playing with blocks, always attempting to find the perfect spot and shape to fit. Even if you did open a door if you closed it a new one would be in it's spot. So all you could really do was walk down this hall.
You don't know if it was left or right, north or south but you walked, and walked. The doors were all the same, mahogany with brass knobs, the ever familiar infinity sign dizzying your eyes with each passing glance you gave it. The sound of your shoes stepping against the woolen carpet beneath was muddying your sense of hearing, monotonous and blending into the silence.
How long had you been walking now? Fifteen minutes? Thirty minutes? It didn't feel awfully long yet your ankles and knees were already beginning to groan in protest with every step you took. As if the very building was sapping your energy to sustain it's unending shuffle.
A little break wouldn't hurt, the only issue was that The Doorman had specifically told you to keep moving forward when you were in this realm. Why? He never explained (that bastard), he merely waved you off and told you not to worry your little head over it. He must have assumed you wouldn't have ever been left alone this long, he wasn't careless, it would be a crime to even think that…
So… Where was he?
After another ten minutes (Twenty? Forty?), you give up. Slumping to the carpet below and leaning against the wall with your arms wrapped around your knees. Taking a momentary break for your faltering muscles and weary mind.
As you zoned out, ruminating with your restless thoughts, you realized something. You could hear a heart beat, yet your ear wasn't pressed against the wall. It sounded like it was coming from in front of you? To the door to your right? No, it was a bit further than that, but you could definitely tell it wasn't your own heart beat.
Stubborn and determined to figure out where the noise was coming from, you stand back up. Taking your time walking now as to not irritate your still sore tendons.
This walk wasn't nearly as long as your last one, you could actually tell the time it took to get to where the sound was loudest. It was only about three minutes, the noise had led to a door that looked like any other however. But something in you stirred as your hand hovered over the knob.
Some sort of hesitation, a primal fear of sorts, something akin to the uncanny valley. Your skin was clammy, the hairs on the back of your neck sticking up as if some animalistic part of you was trying to ward off whatever possible threat there may be.
But the heart beat was loudest here, why, you could hear this heart beat louder than your own. You were in The Baroness. You were safe. You knew you were safe. You had to be. The Doorman had been nothing but loving towards you, gentlemanly and caring of your every need.
So it wouldn't hurt to satiate your curiosity just this once, right?
You turn the knob, opening the door.
It's dark.
Incredibly dark.
There isn't a floor. Or a ceiling. Or walls. Actually, you weren't even sure there was a door anymore. You wanted to look down and see the carpet beneath you but you could already tell there was nothing there either.
You try to speak.
Nothing
You try to feel.
Nothing.
You try to hear.
Nothing.
You try to blink.
…
That's when you see it. The faintest glimmer of blue sparking to life in front of you. Such a small light yet the warmth it gave felt like it could melt your skin right off. It was a blue you hadn't seen before, it hurt to look at yet you couldn't keep your gaze away.
You watch as it blooms into infinite spirals, unnatural shapes and colors filling your vision. Geometrical possibilities that weren't meant for human consumption making your retinas burn and tear, your head pounding and screaming at you to close your eyes even if it was to no avail. It was the brightest light you had ever seen, yet you still felt completely in the dark.
And you realize what it is.
Who it is.
Once you understand, the pain fades. It was all encompassing. All seeing. All loving. You begin to cry out of joy at the sight and feeling of… Something curling around you. The searing heat comforting even as you felt your skin begin to peel and melt away with each passing millisecond.
It feels like eons that you stare at him. Even as red runs down your face mixing with your tears and dripping into your throat, even as you feel your organs collapse and your veins burst, you still feel happy. Content. Your poor human brain could only stare in tender awe at the swirling mass of what you assumed to be space in front of you.
It was grander than the Statue of Liberty. Grander than America itself. Grander than Earth itself.
And yet, it held you. As delicately as its nuclear energy would allow it. Even as you felt the skin of your face slip off, you could only look on in pure unadulterated awe. So this was your lover. This was your darling. In all his beautiful glory. Even if he didn't have a face you could recognize, you knew that it could only be him.
And you're happy. You're fine dying here in his hand. In the cusp of something greater than you ever will be, something greater than this planet or plane could ever be.
Your vision is fading. Your eyeballs are melting into putty. A soft hum is lulling you to sleep. Maybe it's just your body giving up, maybe it's just your brain giving out its final cry inside your conscience, but what did it matter? You were comfortable. And all you wanted to do was sleep, safe in the grasp of… Well, whatever The Doorman really was.
So you do. You let your mangled body rest. Your lungs giving one last wheeze, your heart pumping giving it's final beat… And then finally, finally you let yourself slip into eternal bliss.
…
….
…..
Your mouth is dry.
Your body feels like it was run over numerous times.
“Dear?”
You open your eyes, squinting at the soft light from the lamp beside you. Bright blue eyes and ginger hair are the first thing you notice, then the smell of soup and tea, then the feeling of egyptian cotton sheets wrapped around you like a cocoon.
“Good evening darling. You gave me quite the scare you know?”
Your weary and sleep filled eyes look up to the unusually chipper bellboy. His lips curled into a grin far too sharp for your liking, one he had when he was up to something he shouldn't be.
You try to talk but only manage a sigh. Your mind weirdly blank as you attempt to recollect how and why you were in this bed sleeping. But nothing comes up. Gods you feel like shit, you don't even want to think about it.
“You collapsed in the hallway earlier with a fever. Why, you gave a few guests a good scare.”
That answered your question. But that still didn't sound right, something was missing wasn't it?
But your wandering mind is quickly set in place back to the present as he gives you a soft peck on the forehead. Brushing your hair out of your face and caressing your cheek with a gloved hand.
“You're overworking yourself again aren't you darling? Tut tut, I told you this would happen, you're not like me you silly little thing. When will you simply allow me to pamper you like you deserve? The Baroness is free of charge to you.”
He helps you sit up, your skin felt awfully sensitive. Just having your clothes brush against you felt like tiny little needles prickling at you as if you had some sort of invisible sunburn all over your body.
“Not like you can do much with a cold now though. I'm afraid you'll be in my care until you get better.”
You roll your eyes, already feeling that damn smug aura of his at being able to keep you here for a whole week. Grabbing your cup of tea, you go to drink but immediately become uncomfortable as it goes down your esophagus.
It wasn't too hot, actually it was a perfect temperature, but it felt alien. Like your stomach wasn't your own and your throat was adjusting to something new.
But that would be silly. You can't just up and grow fresh new organs like that, not like you even lost them in the first place. You must have just been antsy you eventually decide on. Merely a product of anxiety was all it was.
After forcing yourself to take a few sips of your tea, you make idle chatter with him. Eventually forgetting about the sensations in your body, acclimating and relaxing as easy as ever.
But when he gets up to leave and you get up to go to the bathroom, it isn't until then that you notice something. His eyes letting on that he knew something you didn't as he followed your every movement. Those blue orbs far too giddy for someone like him.
Was your heart shaped freckle always on your left arm?
You distinctively remember that freckle being near your ankle, your mother and you would always joke about it being a little good luck charm since you were a baby…
Your heart lets out a heavy thump on the right side of your chest.
You do not dwell on it.